Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a dual US-Somali citizen and former prime minister, was sworn in as Somalia’s new president on Wednesday after lawmakers voted behind the secure blast walls of the capital’s airport.
Celebratory gunfire erupted across Mogadishu at his victory, after a security lock-down in the seaside city aimed at deterring attacks by the al Shabaab Islamist group which had threatened to derail the Western-backed election process.
“President Farmajo,” residents shouted in the streets, using his popular nickname “Farmajo” which was used during the vote count. Many Somalis are best known by their nicknames.
Outgoing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose administration faced public and Western criticism for corruption scandals, conceded defeat as it became clear he could not win in a third round of voting.
“This is a victory for Somalia and the Somalis,” the new president told members of parliament shortly after taking the oath of office in a hall on the airport compound, which is surrounded by concrete barriers and guarded by African peacekeeping troops.
The voting process, which lasted months, began with 14,000 elders and regional figures choosing 275 members of parliament and 54 senators, who then had to choose among 21 candidates.
Pervasive corruption is one of the biggest complaints among ordinary Somalis and Western donors. Rival candidates accused each other of buying votes. Anti-corruption group Marqaati said tens of thousands of dollars changed hands in campaigning.
Western donors had said the voting process was far from perfect but marked a modest step forward from 2012 when just 135 elders picked the lawmakers, who then chose the president.