World leaders sent congratulatory messages to Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for his win in Sunday’s election. Mr Mohamud, who served as Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017, won after a third round of voting by Somalia’s 328 MPs. He was sworn in soon after. The outgoing president, Mohamed …
Read More »Somalia: Lawmakers elect Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as new head of state
Lawmakers in Somalia elected former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new head of state in presidential elections on Sunday. Mr Mohamud defeated current president, Mohamed Abudallahi Farmajo, in office since 2017. The ballot was limited to Somalia’s 328 MPs due to security concerns over holding a wider election, and …
Read More »Somalia: President Farmajo is seeking second term
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has announced his candidacy for a second term in presidential elections scheduled for May 15. On Twitter, President Farmajo said he was seeking a second term in “response to the call of the Somali people” and to continue “on the path of progress and development”. …
Read More »Somalia: parliament has new Speaker
Somali lawmakers elected Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur as the new president on Thursday, in a vote delayed due to disagreements over who would be in charge of security at the polling place. Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur was declared winner in a vote overseen by Abdisalan Liban Dhabancad, parliament’s interim speaker. …
Read More »Somalia: Al Shabab plans to kill President Farmajo and PM Roble
The al Shabaab group linked to al Qaeda plans to target Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, the country’s intelligence agency warned on Tuesday. Violence by the group, which aims to topple the central government and impose its own severe version of Islamic law, has …
Read More »Somalia: elections once again postponed
Somalia has once again pushed back the deadline for completing parliamentary elections, which are already more than a year overdue, because of political disputes. The remaining 50 seats in the country’s lower house must now be filled by the end of this month. Somalia has not held a one-person-one-vote election …
Read More »Somalia: elections will not take place as planned
Somalia is likely to miss a deadline to conclude long-delayed parliamentary elections as political disagreements continue in the country. The federal government had set a deadline of March 15 to complete the polls, but more than 50 seats in the legislature are yet to be filled. This could in turn …
Read More »US State Department announces visa restrictions for Somali officials
The United States announced visa restrictions against current or former Somali officials whom it accused of undermining democratic processes. The restriction comes as the United States pushes for credible elections in Somalia – which have long been delayed. In a statement, State Secretary Antony Blinken said the visa restrictions applied …
Read More »Somalia: U.N and partners urge leaders to resolve conflicts
The United Nations and other countries are in talks with Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and prime minister Mohamed Roble to urge them to reduce tensions in their political feud that has fed fears of a military clash, officials said on Wednesday. The conflict comes as President Farmajo suspended the …
Read More »Somalia: PM discusses political situation with U.S. official
Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble spoke by telephone with Molly Phee, a senior U.S. official about the political situation in his country, Reuters reported. Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, federal government spokesman and senior adviser to PM Roble, said on Twitter the prime minister spoke to Molly Phee, U.S. assistant secretary …
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