newly elected Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden
Hiiraan Online
Saturday, May 29, 2010
There are 388 members of MPs who were in attendance to cast their vote. In the Somali parliamentary system, 258 votes are required to declare an outright victory. Sharif Hassan received 217 votes; this would normally require an additional round of voting. However, the other nominee’s conceded defeat after the first round thereby leaving Sharif as the remaining candidate and undisputed speaker of parliament.
In his swearing ceremony Sharif Hassan thanked members of the parliament and urged them to work alongside him to solve the problems facing Somalia. Sharif Hassan wasted no time as the new Speaker of the Parliament, calling a parliamentary meeting this Sunday to begin addressing some of these issues.
The Somali Supreme Court and the Somali President agreed to delay the process in which Deputy Speaker of Parliament is voted amidst controversy surrounding the current deputy speaker, Professor Mohamed Omar Dalha, who refused to step down from his post.
This election marked the first time in 20 years that the Somali MP’s gathered inside Somalia to vote for a Speaker of Parliament. There was a heavy presence of both AMISOM and Somali military to ensure the safety of the MP’s.
This is the second time Sharif Hassan was voted as the Speaker of the Parliament. He was voted as the Speaker for the first time in 2004 up until he was removed for opposing Ethiopian occupation and joined the Asmara Group.
Throughout the election there was no interference from the insurgency who usually attempt to disrupt parliamentary gatherings.
Here is a breakdown of the votes:
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden 217
Abdi Hashi Abdullahi 143
Abdi Kafi Moalim Hassan 012
Ahmed Abdullaahi Fanah 010
Abdullaahi Sheikh Ismail 004