Somali MPs vote for leader

Mogadishu – Somali lawmakers gathered in Mogadishu yesterday to vote in the country’s long-overdue presidential election, with 35 candidates vying for the top job in the nation as it battles an Islamist insurgency and threat of famine.

The poll has been dogged by claims of irregularities and is well over a year behind schedule, with Somalia’s international partners warning the delays, caused by political infighting, were a dangerous distraction from the fight against al-Shabaab jihadists.

The vote will be held under tight security in a tent inside Mogadishu’s heavily-guarded airport complex, with little movement seen in the capital where police have imposed a curfew until today. Flights have also been cancelled, an official said on condition of anonymity.

The vote is expected to draw a line under a political crisis that has lasted well over a year, after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s term ended in February last year without an election.

Mohamed is now seeking re-election but faces heavy competition with former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as exprime minister Hassan Ali Khaire throwing their hat into the ring.

Puntland state president Said Abdullahi Dani and former foreign minister Fawzia Yusuf Adan – the lone female contender – are also in the running.