Somalia chooses new leader in presidential elections10 September 2012, Mogadishu
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeats the incumbent president by 190 to 79 in a runoff following first round of voting by MPs.
10 September 2012
Somalia's new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud after being elected by MPs.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeats the incumbent president by 190 to 79 in a runoff following first round of voting by MPs.
Celebratory gunfire erupted in Mogadishu on Monday night after Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeated incumbent Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to become Somalia's new president.
It is the first time since the 1991 overthrow of president Said Barre that a new leader has been chosen inside the country, a development hailed by the UN as a sign of improving security.
MPs marked their ballot papers behind a curtain before casting them in a clear box in front of foreign envoys and hundreds of Somali men and women. In a surprise result, Mohamud won a runoff by 190 votes to 79 after the first round failed to produce a clear winner.
Mohamud, 57, is a professor and activist who has worked for several national and international peace and development organisations including the UN children's agency Unicef. Last year, frustrated by Somalia's dominant clan system, he founded what he claimed was the first political party in Mogadishu, the Peace and Development party.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeats the incumbent president by 190 to 79 in a runoff following first round of voting by MPs.
Celebratory gunfire erupted in Mogadishu on Monday night after Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeated incumbent Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to become Somalia's new president.
It is the first time since the 1991 overthrow of president Said Barre that a new leader has been chosen inside the country, a development hailed by the UN as a sign of improving security.
MPs marked their ballot papers behind a curtain before casting them in a clear box in front of foreign envoys and hundreds of Somali men and women. In a surprise result, Mohamud won a runoff by 190 votes to 79 after the first round failed to produce a clear winner.
Mohamud, 57, is a professor and activist who has worked for several national and international peace and development organisations including the UN children's agency Unicef. Last year, frustrated by Somalia's dominant clan system, he founded what he claimed was the first political party in Mogadishu, the Peace and Development party.