Somalia: Political Newcomer Becomes Somali President

Somali parliamentarians on Monday September 10 elected a new President in what many admitted were the country's most open and uncontested election in over four decades. After several rounds of voting in a former police academy in the capital, Mogadishu, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, 58, beat outgoing President Sheik Sharif Sheikh Ahmed by 190 to 79 votes to obtain the mandatory two thirds majority, the BBC said.

In a live broadcast on State TV, President Sheik Sharif Sheikh Ahmed conceded defeat, saying he was happy to witness the first free and fair election in Somalia in over 40 years. He congratulated Hassan Sheikh on his election, declaring that he was fully satisfied with the results. The new President was sworn into office immediately after the announcement of results, the AP news agency reported.

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