Somalia – There were huge celebrations in Mogadishu as residents welcomed the election of the new Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Somalis living in Nairobi, in neighbouring Kenya, also welcomed the news with celebrations.
Mohamud won with 214 votes in a third round of voting against the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who got 110 votes.
He was sworn in shortly after the final results were announced and will serve for the next four years.
Neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia were quick to congratulate the new president. More international reaction is expected during the day.
There were at least 36 other candidates in the presidential race.
Mohamud makes a comeback having served as Somalia’s eighth president for four years from 2012, before Farmajo defeated him in the 2017 elections.
The returning president inherits a country facing key challenges such as drought, insecurity and the rising cost of living.
He promises to try to move his country forward by healing the grievances which run through Somali society.
“We have to move ahead, we do not need grudges. No avenging,” Mohamud is quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.
Source: BBC
