Ex-Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud wins presidency

Somalia has handed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud the presidency for a second time following long-overdue election in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, which is confronting a militant insurgency and the threat of famine.

After a marathon poll involving 36 candidates that was broadcast live on state TV on Sunday, parliamentary officials counted over 165 votes in favour of former president Mohamud, more than the number required to defeat the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

Mohamud faces a daunting task in the Horn of Africa nation of 15 million people which is suffering drought, hunger and seemingly never-ending conflict.

Mohamud, who served as Somali president between 2012 and 2017, won the contest in the capital, Mogadishu, amid a security lockdown imposed by authorities to prevent deadly militant attacks. 

The first round of voting was contested by 36 aspirants, four of whom proceeded to the second round. With no candidate winning at least two-thirds of the 328 ballots, voting then went into a third round where Mohamud won by a simple majority.

Explosions near airport 

Earlier, blasts from mortar shells rang out near Mogadishu airport where the parliamentarians were meeting, residents said. 

There was no claim of responsibility and the explosions did not disrupt the vote, but Somalis are used to attacks on state institutions from Al Shabab terror group.

Members of the upper and lower legislative chambers picked the president in secret balloting inside a tent in an airport hangar within the Halane military camp, which is protected by African Union peacekeepers. 

Mohamud's election ended a protracted electoral process that raised political tensions — and heightened insecurity concerns — after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's mandate expired in February 2021 without a successor in place.

Mohamed and Mohamud sat side-by-side on Sunday, watching calmly as the ballots were counted.

The United Nations-backed vote was delayed by more than a year due to squabbling in government, but had to be held this month to ensure a $400 million International Monetary Fund programme.