By Sulaimon Jamiu
Somalia’s former leader, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been elected president after a final vote that was only open to the country’s MPs.
Mohamud defeated the incumbent, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, in a runoff after three rounds of voting in an election that has been delayed for over a year.
The members of parliament and senators who chose Mohamud were elected by delegates chosen by clan leaders. It had been hoped that the president would be elected by the people of Somalia under universal suffrage, but this plan was eventually abandoned by the country’s political elite.
News of Mohamud’s victory was greeted with cheering and the firing of gunshots into the air around the capital Mogadishu.
Mohamed and Mohamud sat side-by-side on Sunday, watching calmly as the ballots were counted.
“Hassan Sheik Mohamud is the winner of the election for the president of the Somali Federal republic,” said the speaker of the lower house, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur.
Mr Mohamud received 214 votes, defeating Mr Mohamed who won 110 votes out of the total 327 votes casted. Three MPs are reported to have spoiled their ballots.
The result marks a comeback for Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who served as Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017 before he was defeated by Mr Mohamed.
The elections, which were hotly contested and went to a third round, were delayed for almost 15 months due to in-fighting and security issues.
Mohamed conceded defeat and Mohamud was immediately sworn in.
The 66-year-old Mohamud is the leader of the Union for Peace and Development party, which commands a majority of seats in both legislative chambers.
