Somali MPs Elect New President

Somalia’s Members of Parliament (MPs) have once again voted Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to the highest office in the country.

On Sunday, 15 May, the 66-year-old former university professor (and previous president of the country between 2012 and 2017) received 214 votes of the 328 total ballots cast.

Hech beat out the 110 votes for incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, thus removing him from nearly five years as head of the executive branch.

The polling was limited to MPs, due to security risks associated with a wider voting population. Reports claim that at least three ballots were spoiled, with one MP abstaining.

Mohamud was inaugurated shortly after the result was announced. He struck a warm tone of rebuilding the country during his first official address: “We must move forward and never backwards, we have to heal any grievances.”

The elections were previously stalled due to years of Islamic insurgency in the region, as well as political infighting; which also delayed a $400-million aid package from the International Monetary Fund to combat an ongoing drought.

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