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Somalia has re-elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the president for a second time following Sunday’s long-overdue election. He was the president during 2012-17.
Somalia has re-elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the president for a second time following Sunday’s long-overdue election. He was the president during 2012-17. Parliamentary officials counted 214 votes in favour of Mohamud. It is far more than the number required to defeat incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo.
Many hope that the vote will clear the political uncertainty in the trouble -torn country. Mohamud was sworn in shortly after the votes were counted. He struck a conciliatory tone as he addressed the country. Both the leaders, the winner and loser, struck bonhomie tones for each other. Many political analysts describe that as a good augury.
There was widespread anxiety about the election delays. As the elections and counting were going on, explosions were heard on Sunday near Mogadishu’s heavily-guarded airport complex, where MPs were voting. However, no casualties were reported in the blasts.
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Somalia follows a complex indirect model of election, where state legislatures and clan delegates pick lawmakers for the national parliament, They in turn choose the president. Somalia is a heavily indebted country. It also runs the risk of losing access to a three-year US$400-million (380-million-euro) aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). That was set to automatically expire by mid-May if a new administration was not in place by then. The government has asked for a three-month extension until August 17. According to the IMF, it has not yet responded to the request. Over 70 percent of Somalia’s population lives on less than US$1.90 a day.
