Somalia's parliament on Oct. 31 voted 297-92 to approve new Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, after several delays due to a constitutional dispute over the confirmation procedure. Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mahmud had argued that due to the silence of the Somali Transitional Federal Charter on confirmation procedures, Somalia's 1960 Constitution must control, which states that all confirmations must be expressed by open vote. Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden disputed this, pushing for a secret ballot. Supporters of Abdullahi say he may have a better chance than predecessors of controlling Islamist insurgents and pirates the come from the country.

Last week, Transparency International ranked Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world in its 2010 Corruption Perception Index. In April, Human Rights Watch criticized the violent and repressive conditions in southern Somalia that have been imposed by the Islamist group al-Shabaab. Though the report found that portions of the country under al-Shabaab rule are more stable when compared to those under the control of Ahmend's Transitional Federal Government, that stability comes at a steep price including harsh punishments and executions without due process.

From Jurist, Oct. 31. Used with permission.