Somali presidential election, 2017

Somali presidential election, 2017
8 February 2017

 
Nominee Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
Party TPP PDP Independent
Electoral vote 184 97 45
Percentage 55.9% 29.5% 14.6%
President before election

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
PDP

 Elected President

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
TPP

Somalia
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Somalia

The 2017 Somali presidential election was held in Somalia on 8 February. Members of parliament elected in the autumn-2016 parliamentary election elected former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to the post of President of Somalia for a four-year term.

The presidential election was to be held in August 2016 and promised to be a one-person, one-vote national poll, but had been postponed several times and shifted to an electoral college system due to security concerns. On 26 January 2017, the election was set for 8 February, with candidates required to register by 29 January.[1] The election was held in an airport hangar at Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu.[2]

Mohamed was declared president in a peaceful transition of power after incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conceded defeat and congratulated the victor.[3]

Security

Due to the ongoing civil war, security for the ballot was a significant concern. The vote was initially planned to be held at a Mogadishu police academy but was moved to the more secure Aden Adde International Airport, considered as the safest place in Somalia's Capital. On the voting day, traffic was banned in the city, schools were closed and flights to and from the airport were suspended.[4]

Electoral system

In the previous presidential election in 2012, the president was elected by a parliament that had been picked by 135 elders. Plans in 2016–2017 for a full election involving all adult Somalis were scrapped due to security concerns relating to the ongoing civil war.[5] The election costs were 60% funded by donor countries in Europe, the United States and Japan, with the remainder from the Somali government and candidate registration fees.[6]

The president was elected by the 328 members of the Lower House and Upper House of the Somali parliament. The Parliament's members were elected in the 2016 parliamentary election which itself was limited to 14,025 clan elder-appointed delegates.[7] The election's foreign financiers described the extension of the franchise as a "modest step forward".[5]

The procedure for the election—a form of runoff voting—is outlined in section 89 of the Constitution of Somalia.[8] There were over twenty registered candidates in the first round of voting.[9]

Candidates

A total of 23 or 24 candidates[note 1] declared themselves, though withdrawals—including that of Abdirahman Mohamed Farole[10]—reduced the field to 21 by the time of the vote.[11] The field included the incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, incumbent Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and former Somalia's envoy to Kenya Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur "Americo" among others. [12]

Results

No candidate achieved the required two-thirds of votes to win in the first round, so the top four candidates (Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke) advanced to the second round. Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke then dropped out, reducing the field to three candidates. No candidate reached the required threshold in the second round of voting, and third-place Ahmed was eliminated.[13] Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conceded defeat, negating the need for a final vote.[2]

First round (top four only)[13]
CandidateVotes
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud88
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed72
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed49
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke37
Second round[13]
CandidateVotes
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed184[5]
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud97
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed45

Bribery

According to a report by the United Nations Security Council, the United Arab Emirates offered cash bribes to influence the election's outcome.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ The original number of candidates varies slightly between reports; reports 24, reports 23.

References

  1. ↑ "Somalia sets presidential election for Feb. 8", AFP via New Vision, 26 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Somalia's Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo chosen as president". BBC News. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Former PM and dual-US citizen wins Somali presidential election". The Guardian. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Somali elections: Mogadishu traffic ban ahead of presidential vote". 8 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Burke, Jason (2017-02-08). "Somalis celebrate 'new dawn' after presidential election win". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  6. ↑ "Int'l community confirms funds support for Somali Election 2016". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  7. ↑ "Somalia's Presidential Election for 14,000 People". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  8. ↑ Constitution of Somalia Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "SOMALIA DECIDES: Lawmakers make way to polling centre, total shut down in Mogadishu as nation holds breath for new leader". Goobjoog. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "Somalia: Farole withdraws from the presidential race, citing interference in the Somali election". Garowe online. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Somalia presidential election moves to second round". The East African. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "Somalia 2017 Presidential elections: Results and winner Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo". Kenyaote. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 "Step-by-step: How Somali MPs elected new President in a fortified airport". Africa News. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  14. ↑ Gambrell, Jon (April 17, 2018). "UAE stops training Somalia's military after cash seizure". Defense News. A United Nations Security Council report in November also alleged the UAE handed out cash to influence voters in Somalia’s presidential election last year.
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