MOGADISHU, July 18 (Xinhua) -- State Parliament in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland voted Tuesday to dismiss the cabinet weeks after the region was flooded with fake currency notes leading to closure of business and demonstrations by traders.
In a vote of no confidence motion Tuesday, 47 legislators voted to dissolve the cabinet while only one voted against it.
Nine others abstained from the vote which now forces state president Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas to reconstitute a new cabinet.
The motion comes weeks after reports of mass circulation of fake Somali shilling notes in many parts of Puntland leading to high inflation rates.
Gas administration authorized printing of counterfeit Somali notes last year to pay salaries for soldiers who have mutinied on several occasions over delayed pay, a development which the central bank warned could negatively impact on the economy.
Puntland is the oldest regional administration in Somalia established in 1998. It maintains a semi autonomous status.
The region has been battling twin assaults from the Al-Qaida affiliate Al-Shabaab and the so called Islamic State which captured the ancient port town of Qandala late last year before it was pushed out by Puntland forces.
There was no comment yet from President Abdiwali Mohamed Ali, who is serving his last year in office ahead of elections in 2018.
The state constitution mandates the House of Representatives to submit a motion of confidence on the cabinet or individual ministers if the motion meets constitutional merits.
