Nairobi (WDN)- The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has postponed its much-anticipated decision on the legality of Somalia’s nine representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), extending uncertainty around Mogadishu’s first major legal test since joining the East African Community (EAC) in March 2024.

The case stems from a petition challenging the procedure used by the Somali government to select its nine EALA members. Petitioners argue that the appointments violated key EAC requirements for transparency, parliamentary participation, and political inclusivity. standards.

Although the court was expected to issue a decisive ruling, the EACJ announced a postponement, signaling the complexity and political sensitivity surrounding the case. The delay means that the contested EALA representatives will not be sworn in as originally planned, until the court issues its final ruling.

The EACJ is now expected to deliver its final decision before the end of 2025. Legal experts say the eventual ruling could set an important precedent for how the regional bloc handles questions of compliance, procedure, and legitimacy among both new and existing member states.

For Somalia, the postponement prolongs a period of uncertainty at a critical moment in its integration into the EAC and keeps regional attention firmly fixed on how the young member state navigates internal political disputes within a broader institutional

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