Somalia Elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been re-elected as Somalia’s new president, according to news reports.
Mohamud won the presidency for a second time following a long-overdue election on Sunday.
After a marathon poll involving 36 candidates that was broadcast live on state TV, parliamentary officials counted over 165 votes in favour of Mohamud.
The number was more than a simple majority vote required to defeat the incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, reports say.
Ethiopia Congratulates the new President
In a statement today, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry “warmly congratulates” Mohamud on his reelection as President of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
“The election demonstrates the confidence of the people of Somalia in you and is a leap forward to building a democratic process in the country,” reads the statement.
On behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, the foreign ministry said, it “looks forward to working with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his administration in the spirit of the longstanding and friendly relationship” between Ethiopia and Somalia.
Legislators chose Somalia’s next president in the capital, Mogadishu, which was under lockdown measures aimed at preventing possible rebel attacks, reported Al Jazeera.
EM/News Agencies