Somali president announces re-election bid

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Somali President Mohamed Farmajo has officially announced his candidacy for re-election in the presidential elections slated for May 15 in the capital, Mogadishu.

Farmajo who made the announcement in a televised speech on Sunday evening expressed his commitment to continue with the progress and development that he has started during his first term in office.

The incumbent president who was elected in February 2017 said he decided to seek re-election in response to the many calls from the Somalis.

“Thankfully, the presidential election will be held on the anniversary of the Somali Youth League, sending a powerful statement that the Somali people are committed to restoring their statehood and national pride,” he said.

Farmajo joins a list of more than ten candidates who have been registered to contest in the presidential elections whose conduct and results will have a consequential ripple effect on the social, political, and economic relations of the countries in the greater Horn of Africa region.

The 54-member Senate and the 275 members from the Lower House are expected to jointly elect a new president in an indirect vote in Mogadishu on May 15. ■