After a long-overdue election in the troubled Horn of Africa country of Somalia, lawmakers on Sunday chose former leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to be the next president.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was president of Somalia from 2012 to 2017, won the election in the capital, Mogadishu, where security was tightened to stop rebel attacks that could kill people.
Officials in the parliament counted more than 165 votes for Mohamud after a marathon vote with 36 candidates that was shown live on state TV. This was more than the number needed to beat the current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.
People who backed Somalia’s new leader, Mohamud, went out in the streets of Mogadishu even though there was a curfew. They cheered and fired guns when it became clear that Mohamud had won the election.
Many people hope that the election will end the political crisis that has been going on since February 2021, when Mohamed’s term ended without an election.
Mohamed, who is also known as Farmaajo, admitted that he had lost, and Mohamud has sworn in right away.
African Union (AU) peacekeepers watched over the airport compound in Mogadishu, where the new president gave his acceptance speech. In it, he tried to make peace with the people.
“It is good that the president is here with me,” Mohamud said, referring to the former leader who had been sitting with him while votes were counted.
“We need to move on, and we don’t have time to hold grudges. No avenging,” he said.
- Tags: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia
