New Somali cabinet faces tough agenda pre-2016 polls

Significance

The prime minister withdrew his first cabinet, proposed in early January, after opposition to the inclusion of figures from the outgoing government who were considered too closely aligned with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The government is the country's third under the provisional constitutional framework adopted in August 2012. It faces a daunting list of tasks to achieve before its mandate runs out in August 2016, including establishing a framework for relations between regional member states and the national government, building electoral architecture, finalising the constitution before a referendum, and holding national parliamentary and presidential elections.

Impacts

• With the exception of al-Shabaab, all parties continue to work within the federal framework, despite its problems.
• Security operations led by African Union (AU) peacekeepers and assisted by Somali forces will continue to pressure al-Shabaab territorially.
• Clan-based haggling over this cabinet could lead to a burst of legislative activity, as government and clan interests align temporarily.