Somalia elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as new president

MOGADISHU, May 16 (YPA) – Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was sworn in after winning Somalia’s presidential election, becoming the 10th president in the country’s history.

He was chosen as Somalia’s new president on Sunday, returning to the helm for a second stint five years after he was voted out.

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 newly-elected president saw off his rival by securing 214 votes in the runoff while Mohamed could only muster 110 ballots in his favor.

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.

E.M