Somali lawmakers on Wednesday re-elected Mohamed Osman Jawari as the speaker of the federal parliament.
The election took place amid tight security in the capital Mogadishu with main roads leading to the venue closed.
The federal electoral body announced Jawari as the winner of the poll, which saw 259 legislators cast their ballots. He was also chosen to head the lower house.
Jawari garnered 141 votes in the first round, trouncing three other contenders to win re-election.
His nearest rival Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig won 97 votes. The upper house is yet to elect its speaker.
The parliamentarians were sworn in late December following a three-month long vote, which is yet to be concluded as elections for the breakaway region of Somaliland are still ongoing.
The lower house consists of 275 members while the upper house is made up of 54 members.
The contenders who lost in the election congratulated Jawari for his re-election and urged him to lead the MPs in a fair manner.
An elated Jawari thanked the MPs and promised to work hard to unite them.
The elections of the deputy speakers of the federal parliament will take place on Thursday.
Lawmakers will choose a new president after the election of upper house speaker. Enditem