Somalis Celebrate Surprise Election of President With Dual Citizenship From New York State

By Geoffrey York, The Globe and Mail

09 February 17

 

housands of Somalis cheered jubilantly in the streets of Mogadishu and fired shots in the air to celebrate the surprise victory of a former bureaucrat from Buffalo, N.Y., in the country's presidential election on Wednesday.

Only about 14,000 people were allowed to participate in the election, and there was widespread evidence of bribery and vote-buying. But even a badly flawed election gave a sliver of hope to Somalis, who have suffered decades of poverty, war, terrorism, anarchy and foreign invasion. They hailed the election result as a possible step towards peace and stability.

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a dual Somali-American citizen and former Somali prime minister, astonished most analysts by winning an easy victory in the second round of voting in a heavily secured building at Mogadishu's airport, where 328 parliamentarians had gathered for the vote. They peacefully queued up to drop ballots in transparent ballot boxes, while a video feed of the event was live-streamed across the world.

The president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had been strongly favoured to win. But the man from Buffalo defeated him by a vote of 184 to 97 in the second round. A third round was technically required, but the president conceded defeat and his challenger was immediately sworn into office as wild cheers and applause erupted in the hall.

The parliamentarians had been chosen by about 14,000 clan elders and regional leaders in a controversial election process over the past six months. Although it was a very limited form of democracy, it was still better than the last election in 2012, when the parliamentarians were chosen by 135 clan elders.

Three Canadians were among the 24 candidates in the presidential election. One of the Canadians, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, finished fourth in the first round of voting and dropped out of the race.

In total, 16 of the 24 candidates had foreign passports, mostly from the United States and Britain. It was symbolic of the vast size of the Somali diaspora. Millions have fled the country since it fell into civil war in 1991. Somali immigrants in countries such as Canada have become an influential force in the African country's politics, and many Canadians have become cabinet ministers in Mogadishu in recent years.

Despite the evidence of vote-buying in the election, many Somalis are hoping Mr. Mohamed will fight corruption, resist foreign intervention and bring desperately needed stability to the beleaguered country.

War and poverty still plague the country. Mogadishu remains under frequent attack by suicide bombers from al-Shabab, a radical Islamist militia that continues to control much of southern and central Somalia. Drought and hunger are growing worse, and the United Nations has warned that famine could hit Somalia this year. And U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a temporary ban on travel to the United States by Somalis, although U.S. courts have suspended the order.

Because of worries about security, the election was repeatedly delayed. Mogadishu was put under lockdown on Wednesday, major streets were temporarily closed and the voting was held at the airport, behind blast walls, near a major military base, with soldiers guarding the area.

Mr. Mohamed, 54, is widely known by his nickname, Farmajo, derived from the Italian word for cheese – reportedly because he loved eating cheese when he was a child in the former Italian colony.

He was born in Mogadishu, worked in the Somali embassy in Washington in the 1980s, gained asylum in the United States and moved to Buffalo, where he worked for many years for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation.

He returned to his homeland when he was recruited as prime minister in 2010. He resigned just eight months later and ran unsuccessfully for president in 2012.

There were widespread reports of bribery in the latest election. Somalia's auditor-general reported that some parliamentary seats were sold for $1.3-million (U.S.) each. An anti-corruption group, Marqaati, said it was "probably the most expensive election, per vote" in the history of the world.

"Dirty money is changing sweaty hands at unimaginable rates," said Faduma Dayib, a presidential candidate who dropped out of the race, in a series of tweets this week.

"Money is the biggest influencer," she added. "Deals have already been made, money's already exchanged hands, allegiances sworn."

The anti-corruption group Marqaati, which interviewed dozens of Somali elders, said 32 per cent of the elders admitted they were bribed. In a report issued this month, the group said it has obtained "hard evidence" that one elder was paid $150,000 to create a list of delegates who would vote for a specified candidate.