Somalia’s federal state of Hirshabelle on Wednesday elected its president and deputy in what is the start of a months-long electoral calendar that will culminate in the election of the national head of state.
In Jowhar, representatives in the local legislative assembly elected Mr Ali Abdullahi Hussein, aka Guudlaawe, to be the third president. Out of 99 legislators, he received 86 votes while his competitor, Mr Abdurhman Jumale Osman, garnered 13 votes.
The voting for the vice president was still going on by the time we went to press. The vice presidential contestants were Yusuf Ahmed Hagar alias Dabageed and Mohamed Mohamud Abdulle alias Mohamed Dheere.
Advertisement
The state, with an estimated 1.8 million people, was formed in October 2016 and had been led by Mohammed Abdi Ware who came to office in September 2017.
Voting was held in Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle state, some 90 kilometres north of Mogadishu.
The state’s legislature, comprising of 99 local MPs, was elected earlier this month in a formula shared by clans.
Hirshabelle comprises two Somali regions of Hiran and Middle Shabelle.
Somalia is due to hold senate elections later this month where delegates elect 54 senators for the Upper House. In December, delegates nominated by clans in conjunction with the electoral commission will vote for MPs. The MPs will later vote for the president in February.
Nevertheless, Mr Hussein had been predicted as the likely victor in the Hirshabelle presidential contest, hinting that he enjoyed the support of Villa Somalia.
Although Villa Somalia, the President’s palace in Mogadishu, did not publicly side with him, he had been Ware’s deputy, giving him the support of incumbency.
A detailed profile of the new president will follow soon. keep an eye this page
