Voting took
place at the international airport under heavy security. Somali citizens were
not able to directly participate in the vote due to threats from extremist
group al-Shabab, but Farmajo's victory was widely seen as a reflection of
popular support.
Mohamed
Abdullahi Farmajo, a former prime minister and U.S. dual citizen, won Somalia's
long-postponed presidential election Wednesday.
Legislators
appointed by the country's powerful clan leaders cast the actual ballots and
ultimately unseated the favorite, incumbent president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Farmajo, 55, is known for his anti-corruption work during eight months he
served as prime minister six years ago. When he was asked to step down in 2011,
hundreds of people took to the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, demanding
that he stay on.
“This victory
represents the interest of the Somali people. This victory belongs to Somali
people, and this is the beginning of the era of the unity, the democracy of
Somalia and the beginning of the fight against corruption,” Farmajo said after
taking the oath of office.
No comments:
Post a Comment