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On 8 February, in a joint session of a recently elected Parliament, Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” Mohamed, was elected as the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, defeating 18 other candidates.
In the second round, President Farmaajo, who served as the Prime Minister in 2010-2011, received 184 votes against 97 votes for the incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who graciously handed over power in full support to the new administration.
This historic election brought to a close Somalia’s protracted 2016 federal electoral process.
The peaceful transfer of power by the former Federal Parliament and President to their respective successors in a democratic and dignified manner sends a strong signal of democratic progress in the harsh landscape of a country riddled with fraud and corruption.
The 10th national Parliament comprises 25% women, a significant increase compared to the 14% women in the previous House of the People.
Overall, over 50% of the people elected in the House of the People are new MPs. About 16% of the elected MPs are under 35 years old.
It was the first time in 47 years that a parliament in Somalia, which had completed its legal term, handed over in a democratic and dignified manner the responsibility of its constitutional mandate to the new assembly.
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UNDP has been providing electoral assistance to Somalia with the generous funding from the European Union and other donors.
The overall strategic objective of the UNDP/UNSOM Joint Programme for Support to the Electoral Process is to enable the Federal Republic of Somalia to (i) hold an electoral process in 2016 and (ii) to prepare for eventual universal elections through institutional capacity development of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), the development of the legal framework for elections, and support to promote better understanding of electoral processes.
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