Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Thursday retracted his decision this week to sack Prime Minister Omar Abdelrashid Ali Sharmarke.
The Somali president announced to sack the prime minister and name a new one on Monday. But the prime minister refused to step down on Tuesday and termed the decision by the president as "unconstitutional".
In a statement read out to the media by Director of Communications of the Presidency Abdelrashid Khalif, the Somali president said that he took the
decision of retracting from his Monday statement sacking the prime minister "after consulting law experts on the legality of his move".
The latest development came as the differences between the top Somali government leadership are turning into a major political crisis that has
threatened the very existence of the internationally backed government.
The political turmoil erupted on Sunday after opposing lawmakers said they separately voted to oust the speaker and the government of Prime Minister Sharmarke.
In a joint news conference on Monday, Somali President said that he was naming a new prime minister after sacking Sharmarke while the speaker said he was stepping down in the national interest.
Meanwhile the Somali lawmakers on Thursday set up a new parliamentary committee to organize the election of a new speaker. It was not clear when
the election will take place.
The Somali president said on Monday that he was planning to name a new prime minister who will in turn form "an efficient and effective government that can tackle the challenges ahead of the war torn horn of African nation.
The UN envoy for Somalia Auld Abdalla supported the Somali president's move to dissolve the government of Prime Minister sharmarke and praised the
Somali parliament Speaker Sheikh Adan Madoobe for his "courageous" decision to step down.