Somalia elections
Hassan Sheik Mohamud elected president of Somalia for a second time
After a marathon poll involving 36 candidates that was broadcast live on state TV, parliamentary officials counted 214 votes in favour of former president...
The fragile Horn of Africa nation has struggled to hold elections, with polls delayed by more than a year, bedevilled by political squabbling and a simmering Islamist insurgency.
The IMF's programme in Somalia is due for a review in mid-May, but election delays mean that a new administration may not be ready to endorse planned reforms in time, said Laura Jaramillo Mayor, the fund's mission chief for the country.
Soldiers loyal to the premier took up positions near the presidential palace, a day after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, announced the suspension of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who accused him of an "attempted coup".
Relations between the president, better known as Farmajo, and Roble have long been frosty, with the latest development raising fresh fears for Somalia's stability as it struggles to hold elections.
The delay was due to the fact that federal regions were neither able to submit candidates' lists in time, nor to form local committees to cast the ballots, the source added.
President Muse Bihi Abdi and the leaders of Somaliland's two opposition parties had earlier called for an orderly vote as they cast their ballots in the capital Hargeisa.
The United Nations has described a one-person, one-vote election as essential for Somalia's democratisation after decades of chaos and instability.
Due to the impasse, the opposition said it no longer recognised the authority of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, compounding trouble in a nation facing a violent Islamist insurgency, a locust invasion and serious food shortages.
A traffic ban has been imposed and major roads have been sealed off in the capital Mogadishu.
The leaders discussed Somalia’s upcoming vote for a new parliament and president, as well as South Sudan.
Somalia is slowly rebuilding after more than 20 years of conflict & chaos fuelled largely by clan rivalries.
A vote of no-confidence was passed against Abdi Farah Shirdon on Monday by lawmakers.
A Somali lawmaker has been assassinated outside his home in Mogadishu, according to witnesses.
Rebels dismissed Somalia's presidential election as a ploy by the West to boost interests.
Members of Parliament in Somalia vote for a new president on Monday amid fears of rigging.