Hussen’s government survived its confidence vote by exactly one reclassified vote.

Evidence

As the roll was called, opposition and government supporters stood even at fifty- seven each. The last name to be called was Ali Mohamed Hirabe, a former min- ister and a member of the opposition. He said yes first but quickly retracted and cast a negative vote. Government supporters tried to contest the retraction, but the prime minister designate intervened and spoke to the chamber: … My friend Ali was pro-Italian during the trusteeship, then he joined SYL, be- came a minister in the previous government, and then I removed him from that post. He has been a yes-man all his life, and his chance to say no today was betrayed by his yes habit. Since my government’s fate depends on his vote, I want the president of the chamber to count Ali’s vote as negative, so he could be liberated today. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 748

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• FICTION: Hussen’s theatrical intervention in the chamber — asking the speaker to count the decisive vote against him — is a vivid scene of political drama.

Related

• Hussen’s government won its confidence vote by only the margin of one retracted vote (similarity 0.95)
• Hussen let a confused deputy’s no-vote stand rather than dispute it (similarity 0.83)
• Hussen’s government won a 74-vote confidence motion despite a 13-member SYL revolt. (similarity 0.82)
• The 1964 investiture vote ended tied at fifty-seven votes apiece (similarity 0.80)