Puntland conference debating charter

The conference of the representatives of the constituent regions of the self declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, is proceeding smoothly, a local journalist told IRIN on Tuesday. The Puntland general congress, which opened on 26 August in Garowe, the regional capital, had been suspended several times for various reasons, but has now moved to deliberating the items on its agenda. Adan Abdirahman Dolar, editor of the Garowe based 'Nugal Times', said the congress had begun discussing the Puntland charter on Monday.

"They are debating additions to the old Puntland charter", he said. The additions were aimed at eliminating the loopholes contained in the old one, and at ensuring that a new administration "does not find space in which to circumvent" the charter, Dolar said. The new additions call for the new administration to conduct a population census and to allow political parties to operate "within a year of coming to office". They also called for a constitutional court to be in place within 30 days of the new
administration's assumption of office, said Dolar. It was the absence of
such provisions which the former administration of Abdullahi Yusuf used to exploit in order to postpone elections and extend its mandate, he said. The new provisions were "to ensure that the new administration will have no excuses. It has to fulfil all of this within the allotted time," Dolar told IRIN. The congress will probably complete its proceedings within the time-frame it set for itself, said Dolar. The conference is expected to end by 1 October.