Somalia's parliament on Sunday elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the country's new president, the Somali Guardian reported, citing the preliminary results of the vote.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the former president of Somalia (from 2012 to 2017). In 2011, he created and led the Peace and Development Party, which adheres to the position of "Islamic democracy". He was elected president at a parliamentary session on September 10, 2012. During Mohamud's rule, most of the territories previously occupied by radicals were returned to Somali government control, autonomous federal state administrations were established, and ties were established with the IMF. Western embassies, as well as those of China and Turkey, reopened in the country. At the same time, his government was remembered for a number of major corruption scandals.
On May 15, a hangar at the airport in the Somali capital, where presidential elections were being held, came under mortar fire. The shelling occurred immediately after the first round of voting and before the start of ballot counting. Said Abdullahi Dani, head of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, incumbent head of state Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire qualified for the second round of presidential elections.
The new Somali president was elected for a four-year term out of 37 candidates by 329 members of the lower and upper houses of parliament.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS