THE PARLIAMENT WILL ALSO ELECT THE FIRST AND SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKERS OF THE NEWLY-INAUGURATED LEGISLATURE
MOGADISHU (Xinhua) -- The election by Somali lawmakers of new parliament speaker was welcomed by top Somali leaders and general public as a positive step toward ending the transition.
Outgoing Somali president sheikh Sharif sheikh Ahmed said the election of law expert Mohamed Osman Jawari as the new speaker of the country’s legislature will herald new era for Somalia and congratulated the new speaker.
Jawari, a former minister under the Said Barre government, won the post after the four candidates who qualified for second round decided to opt out and left the race as Jawari had huge lead with 119 votes, just 20 votes short of outright win in the first round.
Authorities in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland also welcomed Jawari’s winning the position.
The regional administration called on the new speaker to adhere to and implement the provisions of the Provisional Federal Constitution of Somalia.
The parliament will also elect the First and Second deputy speakers of the newly-inaugurated legislature. After the election of the speaker and deputy speakers, the parliament will also vote for a new president.
Authorities expressed hope that the Somali presidential election will be conducted similarly in a fair and transparent manner and encouraged Federal Parliamentarians to elect the most capable and trustworthy person as President of the Federal Republic of Somalia “at this critical juncture in our history.”
