New era of hope in Somalia after Farmajo victory

Newly elected Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed in Mogadishu on February 8, 2017. PHOTO | MUSTAFA HAJI ABDINUR | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • As peace gesture, Mr Mohamed hosted his defeated rivals at the Jazeera Hotel, the coalition of presidential candidates, made up of 20 opposition contenders for the seat.

  • The president was advised to shun tribalism and avoid surrounding himself with a few individuals, but instead form a government that could lift the Somali people out of their predicament.

Euphoria erupted in almost all the neighbourhoods of the Somali capital Mogadishu as soon as the presidential electoral committee announced that Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, had won the polls.

Mr Mohamed attained 184 votes while his two top opponents, the incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and predecessor Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, garnered a combined 119 votes in the February 8 contest.

Mr Mohamoud conceded defeat by taking up the microphone and telling the joint session of the Lower and Upper houses about his decision not to run for a third round.

His decision prompted a rapturous applause, paving the way for Mr Mohamed to be declared president. Immediately, there were celebrations punctuated with gunfire outside the hall in Afasyoni, a complex next to Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport, where the election took place.

Hordes of people who had learnt that the president-elect was going to stay at the Jazeera Plaza streamed to the hotel, chanting “Farmajo! Farmajo!”

Escorted by guards, the president-elect retreated to the hotel, amid chants by ecstatic crowds who promised night-long celebrations. However, Mr Mohamed’s message through the media, was: “Please go back to your homes. The celebrations must end.”

“Time for celebrations must end. Time for work is going to start,” he said.

The following day, assemblies of youth and even military officers did street dances along major roads in Mogadishu, largely ignoring the message of the president-elect. Portraits of Mr Mohamed, with slogans such as “Danta Dalka Iyo Dadka (for the benefit of the land and the people)” and “Nabad iyo Nolol (Peace and Life)”, were on sale along the main streets.

HOSTED RIVALS

As peace gesture, Mr Mohamed hosted his defeated rivals at the Jazeera Hotel, the coalition of presidential candidates, made up of 20 opposition contenders for the seat.

The president was advised to shun tribalism and avoid surrounding himself with a few individuals, but instead form a government that could lift the Somali people out of their predicament.

Many were the pledges Mr Mohamed made during the campaigns and in his address to the legislators prior to the presidential election. He promised to establish strong bonds between the citizens and the government to enable the former participate in the stabilisation of the country through tax payments.

During the campaigns, Mr Mohamed also promised to form a government that truly represents the people. In his address to the MPs, Mr Mohamed asserted that his predecessor neglected the security of the parliamentarians, stating that 19 lawmakers were killed over the past four years.

Between February 2 and 5, each of the 22 presidential candidates was given 15 minutes to address a joint session of the members of the Lower and Upper houses. It was the opportunity for each to sell his programme.

Mr Mohamed used his time to explain the problems he wished to tackle if elected, including insecurity, corruption, bad governance and the prevailing drought.

PRIME MINISTER

The president’s first major assignment will be the nomination of a prime minister.

In so doing, he will have to adhere to a complex clan power sharing plan known as the 4.5 formula. Once the PM is approved by parliament, he or she will have to form a Cabinet and present a programme to be endorsed by parliament. Mr Mohamed told the legislators: “My government will implement my ‘Nabad iyo Nolol’ (Peace and Life) programme.

“My government will collaborate with the aid agencies in the face of millions of our people suffering from shortage of water, food and medication.”

“We need urgent relief,” he added. Mr Mohamed had, during the campaigns, taken cognisance of the fact that most Somalis lived in poverty. “We are poor people sitting on enormous natural wealth,” he told the legislators.

“We need to benefit from the untapped resources.”

The president-elect also reacted to a recent Transparency International report that ranked Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world.

While serving as a premier in 2011, Mr Mohamed promised economic reforms, including regular pay for the civil servants and the armed personnel. He stated that such a programme could only be realised if corruption was eliminated from the state apparatus.