(SomaliNet) Shortly after he was removed from the parliament with majority vote, Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden said on Wednesday the vote against him by the lawmakers in Baidoa city, 245km southwest of Somalia capital Mogadishu was illegal. Sharif Hassan who is in the Italian capital Roma said he did not accept the legality of the today’s parliament session. Speaking with the local media, Hassan said: “I do not believe that the voting has taken place in fair way but I deem that the MPs were forced to assemble and vote against me and that is not legal session,” He argued that Somalia is under Ethiopian occupation therefore anything happens in forceful way.
Earlier, Sharif Hassan said he could be removed from his post in the parliament. Sharif Hassan and other Somalia lawmakers are now in Roma for talks with the Italian officials over how to solve the political rift with the senior interim government officials.
The removal of Mr. Hassan from the parliament has ended the long standing political divergence between SomaliaÂ’s top leaders. In Baidoa, 183 of the 192 lawmakers voted yes to the motion against the speaker while nine members voted No in hand raising system. No one has abstained. Osman Elmi Boqore, the deputy chairman of the parliament who was chairing the session announced the result of the voting after hours of assembly saying Sharif Hassan has lost the leadership of the parliament in transparent way.
31 MPs brought anti Sharif motion before the parliament and the lawmakers moved suddenly into steps against the speaker. The removal of Hassan from the parliament came after he had close contacts with the out rooted Islamists. Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden split with the president and prime minister late last year over his peace proposal to Islamists rival. The move came as the US conducts efforts to mediate between interim government and senior ousted Islamist officials to reach sustainable solution to the crisis of the war torn country.