MOGADISHU —
Somalia’s international partners on Monday welcomed the election of President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who takes office after months of political instability
and faces crises including a violent insurgency and devastating drought.
اضافة اعلان
Residents in the
capital Mogadishu raced through the streets banging metal cans and fired guns
into the air in celebration as the result of the marathon poll was announced
around midnight.
Many hope the vote
— an indirect process that concluded peacefully despite claims of
irregularities — will draw a line under a political crisis that has lasted well
over a year.
Outgoing president
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s term ended in February 2021 without an election.
The protracted tussle for power that followed turned violent at times and
caused divisions at the highest levels of government.
Somalia’s foreign
backers had repeatedly warned that the election delays were a dangerous
distraction from the fight against Al-Shabaab insurgents, who have been trying
to overthrow the government for over a decade.
The UN on Monday
congratulated Mohamud and praised Somalia’s political and security agencies
“for ensuring the orderly, peaceful and secure presidential election.”
In a statement on
Twitter, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) also commended Farmajo
“for honoring the Somali tradition of immediately accepting the election
results and pledging support to his successor.”
EU foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell urged Mohamud to appoint a government quickly to undertake
“serious efforts of reconciliation” and much-needed security, economic and
political reforms.
Diplomats from the
African Union, the US, Britain, the East African regional bloc IGAD, and the
leaders of Somalia’s immediate neighbors Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti also
offered their congratulations.
Mohamud — who
served as president between 2012 and 2017 and is the first Somali leader to win
a second term — promised to transform the troubled Horn of Africa nation into
“a peaceful country that is at peace with the world”.
Somalia has not
held a one-person, one-vote election in 50 years and few of its 15 million
people played any part in choosing Mohamud.
Instead, polls
follow a complex indirect model, where state legislatures and clan delegates
pick lawmakers for the national parliament, which in turn chooses the
president.
Still, celebrations
in Mogadishu stretched into the early hours, and some expressed relief that the
long-running election saga was finally over.
“This country
seriously needed leadership change to avoid bloodshed... that’s why this
election was so important,” said Habiil Ali, a resident from Mogadishu’s
Wadajir district.
A former academic
and peace activist, Mohamud’s first election had raised hopes that Somalia was
on the path to stability.
But his
administration was dogged by high-profile corruption scandals and political
turmoil, with two of his three prime ministerial appointees forced out, and two
central bank governors resigning.
In addition to
tackling a looming famine caused by drought, Mohamud will also need to fix the
damage inflicted by months of political infighting, at the executive level and
between central and state government.
At his swearing-in after midnight on Sunday, he hailed his
predecessor for enabling a peaceful transfer of power and promised to “heal any
grievances.”
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