Somalia Federal Parliament elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President
Sep 10, 2012 - 9:43:21 PM
MOGADISHU, Somalia 10 Sep 2012 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's federal
parliament has elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the war-torn Horn of Africa
country's new president on Monday, marking the first presidential election
to be held inside Somalia for the first time since the outbreak of civil war
in 1991, Garowe Online reports.
President-elect Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won 190 parliament votes during the
third round of elections, defeating challenger and former President Sharif
Sheikh Ahmed, who received 79 votes, a defeat by a margin of over 70% of all
votes cast.
The presidential election began around 11am in the morning in Mogadishu,
with 22 candidates competing for Somali President. Former Prime Minister
Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas and politician Abdulkadir Osoble were the closest
runner-ups, but both candidates resigned from going ahead to second round of
voting.
President-elect Hassan Sheikh and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed went
straight to the third and final round of voting, where President-elect
Hassan Sheikh received an overwhelming victory.
Hassan Sheikh becomes the first President of the first permanent government
in Somalia since 1991. The UN-backed Roadmap peace process, whereby states
like Puntland played a key role, has led to the end of the transitional
governments in Somalia that first emerged in the year 2000.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed conceded defeat and congratulated the
President-elect and promised to work with him.
President-elect Hassan Sheikh expressed his appreciation to the Somali
people, the Federal Parliament, and the fellow presidential candidates. He
expressed his hope for Somalia to re-emerge from decades of conflict and
statelessness, while emphasizing his willingness to work closely with the
international community.
Somali political observers say President-elect Hassan Sheikh is a new
politician and is known to have worked as an educator and was one of the
founders of SIMAD Institute in Mogadishu.
Both the President-elect and the former President belong to the Abgal
sub-clan of the Hawiye clan-family that is dominant in Mogadishu area.
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, leader of Darod-dominated
Puntland regions of northern Somalia and a key player of the Roadmap
process, spoke live on BBC Somali Service at 9:15pm to send his
congratulations to President-elect Hassan Sheikh, the Somali people, the
Federal Parliament, and the international community that has supported the
Somali peace process.
On 1 August 2012, Somalia adopted the Provisional Federal Constitution
effectively making the country the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Received on Mon Sep 10 2012 - 19:12:00 EDT
