Somali Parliament Approves Cabinet Proposed by Prime Minister

(Bloomberg) — Somali lawmakers approved a new cabinet proposed by the nation’s prime minister, ending a two-month impasse over who will lead the country as it prepares for elections next year.

Members of parliament voted 191 to 22 in favor of the administration on Monday in the capital, Mogadishu. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke welcomed their vote of confidence in the 27-member cabinet, the third one he has proposed since he became prime minister in December.

“Improving security and the realization of Vision 2016, including the chance to hold democratic elections throughout the country, are my utmost priorities and the new cabinet will work hard on that,” he told lawmakers.

Somalia is struggling to rebuild its economy after more than two decades of conflict. The Horn of Africa country hasn’t had a functioning central administration since the ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Government forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, have been battling an insurgency by al-Qaeda-backed Islamist militants since at least 2006.