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Mohamed Abdullahi 'Farmajo' elected as Somali new president

former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi elected as the new president.

 

Mohamed was elected by 275 lawmakers and 54 senators, effectively making him the 9 president of Somali.

Mr Mohamed obtained 184 votes, compared with 97 for the outgoing president, who accepted defeat, avoiding a third and final vote.

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"History was made, we have taken this path to democracy, and now I want to congratulate Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo," Mr. Mohamud said in his concession speech as reported by BBC.

The presidential vote which was delayed by more than five months went largely peaceful and marked a historical step in restoring Somali back to stability and democracy.

Immediately the results were announced gunshots were heard in the air from cheering soldiers as thousands of Somalis quickly took to the streets to celebrate Mr Mohamed victory.

Kenyan ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Lucas Tumbo congratulated the new president and said Kenya would continue working Somali.

“We are very happy for the people of Somali because the elections were very peaceful and the Somali people themselves are happy with the new president and we look forward to working with him in a cordial manner” Amb Tumbo told BBC.

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Due to the large number of candidates,  the vote was expected to go for many rounds with the top three proceeding to a second round of voting and the top two from that round going forward to a third and final vote.

The election was held at a hangar in the heavily guarded Aden Adde International Airport because it was the safest place from attacks by the Al Shabaab militants.

Mr Mohamed is seen as a Somali nationalist, and has a good track record from the time he was the prime minister.

The new president faces a lot of challenges as he comes into office, the biggest one being security followed by division and corruption.

Somalia has been marred by religious and clan conflict for two decades since President Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

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Somali speaks one language but are largely divided under ethnic lines.

Transparency international rates Somali as the most corrupt country in the world.

Farmajo holds a dual citizenship of Somali and the United States, same as majority of other candidates, nine hold US passports, four UK passports and three Canadian passports, according to a leading Somali private radio station.

Therefore should the US President Donald Trump's ban on Somali citizens entering the US comes into force again, some of them could be affected.

The country has not had a one-person one-vote democratic election since 1969.

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Farmajo was born in 1962, and served as prime minister from 2010 to 2011. he is credited with appointing technocrats and reducing the size of the cabinet.

He quit during a power struggle between the then president and parliament speaker.

One of his main campaign promises was to halt corruption in the aid-dependent nation.

"If I become a president, Somali government officials will not misuse revenue," he is quoted as saying in one of his speech.

now that he has been elected the president, the whole world is watching if he keep  his promise.

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Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

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