Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s new president, is a former professor and peace campaigner whose first administration was marred by allegations of corruption and infighting. Sworn in after midnight on Sunday following a marathon vote by lawmakers, Mohamud is the first Somali president to win a second term. He has vowed to transform the troubled Horn of Africa … Read more
After a marathon poll involving 36 candidates that were broadcast live on state TV, parliamentary officials counted 214 votes in favor of former president Mohamud, far more than the number required to defeat the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo. Celebratory gunfire erupted in the capital Mogadishu, with many hoping that the vote … Read more
Somali police declared a curfew in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, citing security concerns as they prohibited all public activity except emergency services until Sunday’s long-delayed presidential election. Dozens of candidates are competing for the top job in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, which is fighting an Islamist insurgency and the threat of famine, … Read more
Somalia’s newly elected parliament convened for the primary time on Saturday, bringing the battle-ravaged state a step towards finishing the drawn-out procedure of appointing a new president. Elections in Somalia observe a complicated indirect model, whereby state legislatures and extended family delegates pick lawmakers for the country wide parliament, who in turn select the president. … Read more
