UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday welcomed the peaceful presidential elections held in Somalia on Sunday and congratulated the president-elect.
Guterres, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, congratulated the President-elect, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on his election as the 10th president of Somalia.
The 66-year-old politician prevailed against 35 candidates in the election for the country’s highest office, including the incumbent president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who had replaced Mohamud in power in February 2017.
Parliamentary and presidential elections were long overdue in Somalia, where Farmajo’s term expired in February 2021, but elections earlier this year were postponed due to a political impasse over electoral regulations.
The UN chief commended the outgoing President Farmaajo for immediately accepting the results and expressing support for his successor.
The secretary-general expressed his hope that the new president would move swiftly to form an inclusive cabinet, and that the new government and federal member states would work closely to advance critical national priorities and address the challenges Somalia faced.
He reiterated the continued support of the UN to the government and people of Somalia and looked forward to continuing to closely work with the new administration to advance Somalia’s state-building agenda and address the dire humanitarian situation in the country.
Similarly, the UN in Somalia welcomed the conclusion of the country’s presidential election held on Sunday, praising the “positive” nature of the electoral process and peaceful transfer of power.
“I would like to congratulate the newly-elected President Mohamud on his victory,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, said.
He also expressed “appreciation to the other candidates, and particularly outgoing President Farmaajo for respecting the outcome and for continuing the Somali tradition of embracing whoever wins and supporting them going forward.
The top UN official in Somalia was speaking at the conclusion of the election, at the venue in Mogadishu known locally as the “hangar,” located near the Aden Adde International Airport, where he and other representatives of Somalia’s international partners had been invited.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won office on the third round of voting by the country’s parliamentarians, after some 12 hours of voting and counting.
The UN Special Representative noted that the electoral process had been a long one, as well as actively competitive – and that focusing on domestic and state-building priorities should now become the focus of attention.
“There have been some difficult moments in this lengthy election.
“However, I believe that the process demonstrated that it was a genuine horse race, that it was a competitive election, and that there was an opportunity for all of the candidates to contest fairly.
“Now it’s time for Somalis and for Somalia’s friends to come together to support the new government as it is installed, and to work on the critical national priorities that still face Somalia.
“There’s much work to be done, and we look forward to being Somalia’s partners going forward,” Swan said.
Swan also noted that some of the country’s critical priorities included finishing the constitutional review process, addressing urgent needs for improved development, security and the current drought.
