The Somali Parliament yesterday in a heavily guarded election elected a new president. This is their former president Sheikh Hassan Mohamud who replaced the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.
For fear of militants using the opportunity to wreck havoc on the war torn nation a security curfew was imposed. However supporters of Mohamud defied it when their candidate had been announced as the winner.
These poured onto the streets firing guns amidst loud cheers. Mohamud who served as the country’s president between 2012-2017 collected 165 votes in a race that had over 36 candidates.
He’s the president of the Union for Peace and Development party which has majority numbers in the Parliament. Mohamud is from the Hawiye clan one of the biggest in the country found in the Horn of Africa.
This election is a momentous one and is expected to calm the situation down after a year of restlessness caused by the failure to hold an election after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s reign coming to an end in February 2021.
Mohamud was declared the President and sworn in there and then at the Mogadishu airport which was being patrolled by the African Union peacekeepers. The incumbent Mohamed conceded defeat and even shook Mohamud’s hand.
Mohamud also in his speech said that there is no time for revenge and they should simply move on.
It is indeed commendable that the president is here standing by my side,” Mohamud said, referring to the former leader, who had sat with him as ballots were counted.
“We have to move ahead, we do not need grudges. No avenging,” the new president said.
Mohamud’s previous government was dogged by numerous allegations of corruption but he vowed to deal away with such problems.
Hem faces a number of problems but top of the list are security which has been worsened by attacks from the Al-Qaeda group which has close links with the Al-Shabaab.
Another problem is the famine which the United Nations has warned could equal that of 2011 which killed about 260,000 people with half of those children under 6 years.
