(RW)Mogadishu, 30 November 2016 – Delegates in the Somali capital cast their ballots Wednesday in the final stage of voting for representatives of the country’s Lower House.
The voting in Mogadishu was carried out amid tight security provided by Somali security forces and AMISOM Police.
The city will host elections for seats allocated to the Banaadir region and Somaliland, as well as presidential elections after Lower House elections are complete.
Two MPs-elect, Mahad Abdalla Awil, from the Diir Surre clan and a former deputy speaker of parliament, Khalid Maow Abdulkadir from the Banaadiri clan, emerged victorious in the balloting exercise.
Awil defeated two opponents, getting 50 of the 51 votes cast. His closest opponent Hassan Mohamed Noor got only one vote.
“I am honoured to be elected again,” Awil said shortly after being declared winner.
Abdulkadir won his seat by a small margin, getting 29 votes against his opponent Sharif Mohamed Sidi’s 21 votes.
“This is the first step towards democracy. The journey may be long but the solution should be from the Somali people,” Abdulkadir said, in his victory speech.
“I want to raise the awareness of my people. They should know that security is paramount. I want to foster peace and reconciliation so as to have unity,” he added.
The day’s proceedings were observed by the electoral oversight team led by their chairman Omar Mohamed Abdulle, who was joined by Mayor of Mogadishu, Sheikh Yusuf Hussein Jimale.
“It is a historic day. It is a significant day because we began the electoral process in July and now we are in the conclusion stages, having held the exercise in the regions,” Abdulle told journalists.
Both Somali security forces and AMISOM Police reported no incidents during the exercise.
“We have not experienced any security threat,” AMISOM Police Acting Operations Coordinator Emmanuel Mukama stated.
“We have prepared ourselves and we have trained professionals to secure the area to ensure that no one disrupts the process,” Captain Mohamed Ali of the Somali Police Special Forces said.
Five seats still remain to be filled in the Banaadir region in voting expected to continue for the rest of the week.
Relief Web
Follow @Medeshi
The voting in Mogadishu was carried out amid tight security provided by Somali security forces and AMISOM Police.
The city will host elections for seats allocated to the Banaadir region and Somaliland, as well as presidential elections after Lower House elections are complete.
Two MPs-elect, Mahad Abdalla Awil, from the Diir Surre clan and a former deputy speaker of parliament, Khalid Maow Abdulkadir from the Banaadiri clan, emerged victorious in the balloting exercise.
Awil defeated two opponents, getting 50 of the 51 votes cast. His closest opponent Hassan Mohamed Noor got only one vote.
“I am honoured to be elected again,” Awil said shortly after being declared winner.
Abdulkadir won his seat by a small margin, getting 29 votes against his opponent Sharif Mohamed Sidi’s 21 votes.
“This is the first step towards democracy. The journey may be long but the solution should be from the Somali people,” Abdulkadir said, in his victory speech.
“I want to raise the awareness of my people. They should know that security is paramount. I want to foster peace and reconciliation so as to have unity,” he added.
The day’s proceedings were observed by the electoral oversight team led by their chairman Omar Mohamed Abdulle, who was joined by Mayor of Mogadishu, Sheikh Yusuf Hussein Jimale.
“It is a historic day. It is a significant day because we began the electoral process in July and now we are in the conclusion stages, having held the exercise in the regions,” Abdulle told journalists.
Both Somali security forces and AMISOM Police reported no incidents during the exercise.
“We have not experienced any security threat,” AMISOM Police Acting Operations Coordinator Emmanuel Mukama stated.
“We have prepared ourselves and we have trained professionals to secure the area to ensure that no one disrupts the process,” Captain Mohamed Ali of the Somali Police Special Forces said.
Five seats still remain to be filled in the Banaadir region in voting expected to continue for the rest of the week.
Relief Web
Follow @Medeshi
