Somalia ex-President Mohamoud sworn in after victory

 Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud during a past function. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU | NMG

What you need to know:

  • The win was announced after three rounds of voting in which he beat his competitor 214 to 110 votes.
  • It was a repeat of the February 8, 2017 contest when Mohamoud conceded defeat to Farmaajo, a newcomer at the time.
  • Mohamoud and Farmaajo headed into the third round after beating two other candidates in the second round of voting.

Somalia's former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud was on Sunday night re-elected into office following an intense contest with the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

The win was announced after three rounds of voting in which he beat his competitor 214 to 110 votes.

It was a repeat of the February 8, 2017 contest when Mohamoud conceded defeat to Farmaajo, a newcomer at the time.

Mohamoud and Farmaajo headed into the third round after beating two other candidates in the second round of voting. Only four contenders had proceeded to the second round of voting.

In the third round, the winner required a simple majority to win.

On Sunday, Mohamoud, profiting from a highly organised campaign and resource mobilisation, improved at every round of voting, garnering more votes from the bicameral federal parliament.

Some 327 legislators of the eligible 329 voted in the election, according to the Speaker of the House of the People (Lower House) Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe.

“Candidate Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo garnered 110 votes while candidate Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud attained 214 votes; 3 votes were spoilt,” announced Speaker Madobe.

Following the declaration of his win, Mohamoud was immediately sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Bashe Yusuf Ahmed.

In a brief speech, Mohamoud promised to reunite the nation and work with all stakeholders at all levels of the government.

“Let’s work together for the benefit of our people and country,” he told the audience.

Mohamoud was Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017.

Born in 1955, Mohamud was a fierce critic of the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmaajo, since the latter won the 2017 presidential vote, beating the ex-university professor’s bid for re-election.

When Farmaajo sought to extend his rule by decree after his term ended without a fresh vote, Mohamud played a key role in the violent protests that rocked the capital Mogadishu and forced the president to seek consensus on the way forward.

The first Somali president to win a second term, Mohamud has promised to transform Somalia into “a peaceful country that is at peace with the world”.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.