Somali lawmakers are gathered at an airport in Mogadishu to elect the war-ravaged nation’s seventh president. The poll comes after months of delays and is being held amid threats of violent disruptions from insurgents, Al-Shabab.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for a second term against 21 rivals. Somalia’s Presidential election is a complicated affair.
The vote has been delayed for six months due to security concerns and logistical delays.
Around 14 000 elders and prominent regional figures are allowed to vote and no ordinary civilians can participate in the ballot.
In Johannesburg – a community of Somali expats is watching developments closely.
On 9th Avenue in Mayfair Johannesburg, virtually every café and restaurant is screening the live visuals of the presidential election as it happens.
Many Somali nationals are living in the area as refugees after fleeing the decade’s long unrest in Somalia but they are now hopeful this presidential election will bring their country closer to stability, allowing them to return home.
“My view is that in Somalia 2017 election happening in Mogadishu concerns the whole Somali community whether they are living outside or in diaspora it concerns all Somalis” says shop owner Abdi Kadir Noor.
Other Somali nationals are also hoping the election will usher in lasting stability. “We are hoping the outcome will be positive. We are not optimistic about the interference of other countries like France and other countries. There are people who want to make bribery to win the election but Somalis want the outcome to be the one we are looking for,” says Somali national Mohammad Adan. Although not directly representative, international observers and donors say the vote shows progress. In 2012 only 135 elders participated and for expats like Abdi Kadir Noor another successful presidential vote brings them one step closer to a long awaited return home.
– By Tumaole Mohlaoli
