The roles and functions of Somalia’s upper house : shared duties and exclusive responsibilities

Abstract EN

Somalia adopted a new federal constitution in 2012 which established a bicameral type of parliament, upper house (senate) and the lower house (the house of the people).

This type of legislature is different from the traditional system of Somalia’s parliaments since independence 1960, because Somalia used to have a unicameral legislature.

This article describes the rationale for the adoption of this system and creating of the second chamber.

It also highlights both the principal functions of the upper house, which is the exclusive powers of the upper house, and shared functions with the house of the people in the light of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

In addition, it proposes some recommendations that must be taken into consideration during the constitutional review process.