Somalia elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud new President

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Following a long-delayed election on Sunday in the volatile Horn of Africa nation, Somali legislators elected former leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the country's new President.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia's President from 2012 to 2017, won the election in Mogadishu, under a tight lockdown imposed by authorities to avert deadly rebel attacks.

Following a marathon ballot with 36 candidates, which was broadcast live on state television, legislative officials counted more than 165 votes in favor of former President Mohamud, which was more than the number required to topple incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

As it became evident that Mohamud had won the election, supporters of Somalia's new leader disobeyed the curfew and poured into the streets of Mogadishu, cheering and firing firearms.

Many expect that the vote would end a political impasse that has lasted well over a year, since Mohamed's tenure expired without an election in February 2021.

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The President, commonly known as Farmaajo because of his fondness for Italian cheese, conceded defeat, and Mohamud was sworn in immediately.

In his acceptance address from the airport facility in Mogadishu, which was controlled by African Union (AU) forces, the new leader struck a conciliatory tone.

“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.

War, drought

Mohamud, 66, is the leader of the Union for Peace and Development Party, which has a majority in both parliamentary chambers.

Mohamud, a member of Somalia's largest clan, the Hawiye, is viewed by some as a statesman with a conciliatory disposition. He is also well-known as a civic leader and education advocate and has been one of the founders of Mogadishu's SIMAD University.

During his campaign, Mohamud stated that his government would be inclusive, acknowledging the failures of his previous administration, which faced many corruption allegations and was perceived as indifferent to the concerns of competing parties.

He now inherits significant obstacles from his predecessor, including an increase in attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab organization and a terrible drought that threatens to starve millions.

Read more: Al-Shabaab claim responsibility for mortar attack on Somalia Parliament

In March, two suicide bombs in central Somalia killed 48 people, while an attack on an AU camp earlier this month killed 10 Burundian peacekeepers. The attack was the country's bloodiest on AU personnel since 2015.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian disaster unless immediate action is taken, with emergency workers anticipating a repetition of the horrific 2011 famine, which killed 260,000 people, half of whom were children under the age of six.