Politicians meet in compound in capital to vote in process hailed by some as important step towards democracy

Politicians are voting in a high-security compound at an airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu to elect a president for the unstable east African state.

Growing evidence of the systematic purchase of votes risks undermining Wednesday’s long-awaited poll, which has been described as a “way station” to political stability and full democracy.

Critics say the election – the most extensive democratic exercise for decades – has entrenched divides between the country’s many traditional clans and encouraged graft, some fuelled by Middle Eastern and regional powers seeking to secure the election of candidates seen as favourable to their interests.

Somalia, which faces a tenacious insurgency by Islamic militants and a looming famine, was among seven Muslim-majority states named in Donald Trump’s contentious executive order suspending immigration last week. It is a big recipient of international humanitarian aid.

Some involved in the vote remain confident, calling it an important step for the nation. “We are well-prepared to elect a new president. It’s a test for a maturing democracy,” said Ahmed Ali, a Somali parliamentarian.

Michael Keating, the UN special representative for Somalia, described the poll as a “political process with electoral features” that was “pretty brave to do”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Somalis walk past a campaign poster on the eve of presidential elections in Mogadishu. Photograph: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP

The complex process of selecting a president began months ago with 14,000 elders and prominent regional figures choosing 275 MPs and 54 senators. These will now choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second five-year term or one of 21 rivals. It is likely to take several rounds before a winner is declared.

“Though it doesn’t solve Somalia’s many challenges, it’s an expression of some political progress … and does highlight a vibrant electoral and political engagement,” said Ahmed Soliman, an east Africa expert at Chatham House.

“What we are seeing is the selection of a president to take the country forward … If you look at the region, and countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti or Eritrea, there is a clear contrast. The election is impressive in the context.”

In Mogadishu, the capital, streets were deserted with many residents following the voting on television. Ali Abdi Haji, a 23-year-old student, said he had never experienced an election.

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“Today is great day for me and for people in Somalia. All I can do today is just watch TV and pray for the country so we can have a good leader who is committed to make this country peaceful and democratic,” said Haji, watching the broadcast with his family in their home in the Hodan district of Mogadishu.

Waris Nur, 34, a businesswoman, said she wanted a leader who “can make the country peaceful and without terrorism”.

Al-Shabaab, the Islamic militant movement that has fought for power in Somalia since 2009 and is affiliated with al-Qaida, has been slowly driven out of its key strongholds in a campaign by regional and Somali troops but still launches frequent attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

An attack on a military base 10 miles (15km) south of Mogadishu on Tuesday was repulsed while several mortar bombs in Mogadishu on the same day caused no casualties. On Wednesday morning, the group stormed a hotel in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, further north up the coast, killing four guards.

The threat from al-Shabaab forced the government and its western backers to scrap a plan to give each adult a vote. Officials decided that the challenge of securing polling stations across the country of 10 million people was insurmountable.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has the support of about a third of lawmakers. Photograph: Isaac Kasamani/AFP/Getty Images

Keating, the UN official, said reports that al-Shabaab had allowed the poll to go ahead were wrong. “They are not shrugging their shoulders and ignoring the election. That is rubbish,” he said. “Al-Shabaab have tried repeatedly to disrupt it. They have targeted MPs and electoral sites. They do not like this. It goes against everything they stand for.”

However, the biggest problem for the polls may be allegations of systematic corruption. Rival presidential candidates have accused each other of buying the loyalty of lawmakers, and local anti-corruption campaigners say tens of thousands of dollars have been handed to individuals to secure support in the vote.

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“This is probably the most expensive election, per vote, in history,” the Mogadishu-based anti-corruption group Marqaati said in a report released on Tuesday.

Hasan Abdurahman Mohamed, 56, a university lecturer in Mogadishu, described being shown a cheque for $10,000 (£8,000) by one new MP who asked him to lobby other MPs in favour of a particular candidate.

Hashi Siad, 67, a clan elder, said presidential candidates were “in a hurry to pay bribes to MPs and elders and even lobbyists who can have some kind of influence”. Some of the candidates will pay as much as $50,000, he said.

Hours before voting was due to start, the chairman of the presidential election committee, Abdirahman Beyle, told MPs they would not be allowed to enter the voting hall with their mobile phones. Beyle said the measure was to prevent politicians taking pictures of their ballot papers to prove to those who had given them money that they had voted as instructed.

Mohamed Omar, an MP, said, as a devout Muslim he had rejected a series of bribes but knew of other new parliamentarians “who were paid big money”.

Western donors, who have often criticised Mohamud’s government for corruption, say the vote is far from perfect but marks a modest step forward from 2012 when just 135 elders picked the lawmakers, who chose the president.

They also point to the levels of female participation: almost a quarter of elected MPs are women.

Waris, the businesswoman, said she also hoped for “a leader who can protect our women rights because women are the largest population in our country and they are not given equal rights”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fadumo Dayib. Photograph: Jussi Nukari/AP

Fadumo Dayib, a Somali politician who briefly campaigned as a presidential candidate last year, said female MPs would “not stand a chance” if they tried to assert themselves.

“They could have had women associations as voters. Instead the vote was given to clan elders who just selected the women to represent their interests. If [the women] do not do what they are told they will be ostracised … The international community could have asked for much, much more. It has lost a great opportunity,” Dayib said.

Mohamud, who has led the country since 2012 in the effort to rebuild Somalia after more than two decades of war and chaos, has the support of about a third of lawmakers, analysts say, giving him an edge but not a guarantee of victory.

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A win for the incumbent would not please western powers. British parliamentarians reported last year that “there is a tangible sense amongst western donors that President Mohamud’s government has not been the fresh start that Somalia needed”.

A key rival is Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a conservative who was a leader of the Union of Islamic Courts, a hardline grassroots clerical movement that took control of much of Somalia 10 years ago.

The election, which has been largely paid for by the US and EU states, has provoked fierce interest from rival Middle Eastern powers keen to extend their influence in a strategically important part of the world. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have all been accused of funding the campaigns of specific candidates and thus indirectly fuelling corruption.

The US and other international powers have pressed Somalia to move ahead with elections as an important symbol of recovery. In the past decade, the US has given $1.5bn in humanitarian aid and another $240m to support Somalia’s political and economic recovery, and $196m in overall funding is planned for 2017.

“There are a lot of problems [in Somalia] of course, but it is not a place falling apart, it is a place coming together,” said Keating.</s>Somali lawmakers gather at airport to vote for president

MOGADISHU, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Somali lawmakers gathered behind the blast walls of the capital's airport on Wednesday to elect their president, after months of delays and threats from Islamist insurgents bent on derailing the process.

The protracted vote began with 14,000 elders and prominent regional figures choosing 275 members of parliament and 54 senators, who in turn now choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term or one of 21 rivals.

The presidential vote, which was originally slated for August, is likely to take several rounds before a winner is declared. Live television images showed legislators in a hall preparing for the election.

President Mohamud, who has led the country since 2012 as it tries to rebuild after more than two decades of war and chaos, has the support of about a third of lawmakers, experts say, giving him an edge but not a guarantee of victory.

The threat from Islamist al Shabaab rebels, who regularly launch attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere, meant the government and its Western backers scrapped a plan to give each adult a vote due to the challenge of securing polling stations.

"We have tightened security and have confidence the new lawmakers will elect or re-elect a candidate they believe can save Somalia," Major Hussein Nur, a police officer, said.

Several blasts, probably from mortar bombs, echoed across the seaside capital Mogadishu late on Tuesday. But there were no reports of casualties in the city, which had been subject to a security lock-down in the build up to the vote.

Earlier on Wednesday, gunmen stormed a hotel in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, further north up the coast, killing four guards. Al Shabaab denied it had a role.

Rival presidential candidates have accused each other of buying the loyalty of lawmakers, drawing furious denials. Anti-corruption group Marqaati says tens of thousands of dollars have been handed to individuals to secure support in the vote.

Western donors, who have often criticised President Mohamud's government for corruption, say the vote is far from perfect but say it marks a modest step forward from 2012 when just 135 elders picked the lawmakers, who chose the president.

The airport, where the vote is taking place, is guarded by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM and is surrounded by high concrete barriers to protect it from attack. U.N. agencies and foreign embassies are located in the compound.

Al Shabaab, which had ruled Somalia for several years, has been slowly driven out of its major strongholds in a campaign by AMISOM and Somali troops. But its fighters continue to launch regular gun and bomb attacks in their bid to topple the government and impose their strict interpretation of Islam. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Heavens)</s>Somali lawmakers gather at airport to vote for president

Motorists drive along a street with the campaign billboards of Somalia's Presidential candidates in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, February 6, 2017. — Reuters picMOGADISHU, Feb 8 — Somali lawmakers gathered behind the blast walls of the capital’s airport today to elect their president, after months of delays and following threats from Islamist insurgents bent on derailing the process.

The protracted vote began with 14,000 elders and prominent regional figures choosing 275 members of parliament and 54 senators, who in turn now choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term or one of 21 rivals.

The presidential vote, which was originally slated for August, is due to start at about noon (0900 GMT). It is likely to take several rounds before a winner is declared.

President Mohamud, who has led the country since 2012 in the effort to rebuild after more than two decades of war and chaos, has the support of about a third of lawmakers, experts say, giving him an edge but not a guarantee of victory.

The threat from Islamist al Shabaab rebels, who regularly launch attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere, meant the government and its Western backers scrapped a plan to give each adult a vote due to the challenge of securing polling stations.

Several blasts, probably from mortar bombs, echoed across the seaside capital Mogadishu late on Tuesday. But there were no reports of casualties in the city, which had been subject to a security lock-down in the build up to the vote.

Earlier today, the group’s militants stormed a hotel in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, further north up the coast, killing four guards. Two attackers also died.

Rival presidential candidates have accused each other of buying the loyalty of lawmakers, drawing furious denials. Anti-corruption group Marqaati says tens of thousands of dollars have been handed to individuals to secure support in the vote.

Western donors, who have often criticised President Mohamud’s government for corruption, say the vote is far from perfect but say it marks a modest step forward from 2012 when just 135 elders picked the lawmakers, who chose the president.

The airport, where the vote is taking place, is guarded by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM and is surrounded by high concrete barriers to protect it from attack. UN agencies and foreign embassies are located in the compound.

Al Shabaab, which had ruled Somalia for several years, has been slowly driven out of its major strongholds in a campaign by AMISOM and Somali troops. But its fighters continue to launch regular gun and bomb attacks in their bid to topple the government and impose their strict interpretation of Islam. — Reuters</s>Five mortar rounds exploded near Mogadishu airport in the capital of Somalia on Tuesday evening, ahead of a parliament meeting Wednesday to elect the country's next president.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the mortar attack. Suspicion quickly fell on militant group al-Shabab, which has vowed to disrupt the election.

The incumbent president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is seeking re-election against more than 20 other candidates, including his predecessor, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and two former prime ministers. The voters will meet at Mogadishu's international airport under heavy security provided by AMISOM, the African Union Mission to Somalia.

Observers say some candidates are trying to buy the presidency through cash and gifts to lawmakers.

AMISOM has protected Somalia's fragile government for a decade against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.</s>MPs will gather at the airport on Wednesday to elect a new head of state.

There have been fears that militant Islamist group al-Shabab, which has carried out many attacks in Mogadishu, may try to disrupt the election.

The airport is viewed as the most secure site in the Somali capital and voting was moved there from a police academy because of growing security concerns.

Wednesday's security measures will include a ban on flights to and from Mogadishu airport.

Analysts say holding the election in the airport environment may also reduce the possibility of vote buying or other corruption in the election process.

More than 20 candidates are vying to become Somali president, with the top three proceeding to a second round of voting and the top two from that round going forward to a third and final vote.

Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for re-election and analysts say he is likely to be one of those who goes forward to the later rounds.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. The Mogadishu-based government is backed by an African Union force, Amisom, made up of more than 22,000 troops and police, as well as civilian staff.

Al-Shabab has a presence in much of the southern third of the country and has carried out many attacks in Mogadishu.

It has previously attacked the Somali parliament, presidential palace, courts, hotels and the fortified airport zone.

At least 19 politicians, as well as civilians and soldiers have been killed in its assaults.</s>Members of Somalia's parliament are meeting under heavy security to elect the troubled country's next president.

Voting began Wednesday afternoon inside Mogadishu’s main airport, amid threats by militant group al-Shabab to disrupt the election.

Mortar rounds landed in neighborhoods near the airport Tuesday night, causing loud explosions but no casualties.

Journalists and international observers are watching as lawmakers cast their ballots into a transparent glass box.

The incumbent president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is seeking re-election against 20 other candidates, including his predecessor, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and two former prime ministers. Three other candidates dropped out before voting began.

In speeches to parliament, candidates promised to restore security, boost the economy and fight against violent extremism.

The election takes place amid accusations of rampant corruption. Candidates are alleged to have given cash and gifts to lawmakers in exchange for votes, with one candidate reportedly paying more than $1.3 million.

If no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, the top three finishers will proceed to a second round. If there is still no winner, the top two candidates will face off in a third and final round.

Security beefed up

 

 Government security forces along with African Union peacekeepers have imposed tight security measures to prevent an attack by al-Shabab on the election site.

All major roads and alleyways in the city leading to the airport and government bases have been sealed off and flights to and from the Mogadishu airport have been canceled. VOA stringers report that most of the schools and businesses in the city are shut down.

 

 Movement around the venue has been limited and inside the venue the use of cellphones is prohibited.

“Due to the fact that mobile phones can be used for illegal political activities during the election and the fact that they can be used to carry out explosions, we have banned all phones. Even the MPs and the presidential candidates cannot bring their cell phones into the venue,” the chairman of the electoral committee, Abdurahman Beyle told VOA's Somali service.

 

 Millions of Somalis in and outside the country are watching the election on a live broadcast by Somali state television. The broadcast is being carried on the VOA Somali website, voasomali.com.

In northeastern Somalia, suspected al-Shabab militants launched an attack at dawn Wednesday on a hotel in the Red Sea port town of Bosaso. 

 

 Four hotel guards and the two attackers died during a gun battle.</s>A traffic ban has been imposed and major roads sealed off in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, ahead of a presidential vote.

MPs will gather at the airport to elect a new head of state.

On Tuesday evening, suspected Al-Shabab militants launched a series of attacks, with two mortar rounds fired close to the venue where the vote will be held.

Residents in Arbacow village outside Mogadishu say jihadists attacked an African Union military base there.

More than 20 candidates are vying to become Somali president, with the top three proceeding to a second round of voting and the top two from that round going forward to a third and final vote.

Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for re-election and analysts say he is likely to be one of those who goes forward to the later rounds.

Results are expected later on Wednesday.

The airport is viewed as the most secure site in the Somali capital and voting was moved there from a police academy because of growing security concerns.

Wednesday’s security measures will include a ban on flights to and from Mogadishu airport.

Correspondents said most schools and offices remained open on Tuesday but people had had to walk to reach their destination.

Analysts say holding the election in the airport environment may also reduce the possibility of vote buying or other corruption in the election process.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. The Mogadishu-based government is backed by an African Union force, Amisom, made up of more than 22,000 troops and police, as well as civilian staff.

Al-Shabab has a presence in much of the southern third of the country and has carried out many attacks in Mogadishu.

It has previously attacked the Somali parliament, presidential palace, courts, hotels and the fortified airport zone.

At least 19 politicians, as well as civilians and soldiers have been killed in its assaults.</s>Security has been tightened in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, before Wednesday’s presidential election. The run-up to the vote has been tumultuous with repeated delays and allegations of corruption.

 

 The presidential vote has been postponed four times, but Wednesday parliament is expected to finally gather at the Mogadishu international airport, chosen for security reasons, and elect the country’s next leader.

 

 The polls have been messy at best, mired in accusations of widespread vote buying. Seats in parliament allegedly went for thousands of dollars each late last year.

VOA’s Somali service spoke to former Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, who expects better during Wednesday’s vote.

"We do not believe that the current parliament of the two houses are not patriotic, are not loyal to their people and their country. We believe that they will overcome. We believe that the challenges coming from the corruption mispractices, intimidation and harassment will be defeated by the current two houses of the parliament," he said.

Somalia cannot hold direct nationwide elections due to ongoing insecurity and logistical issues, like the lack of a national census. So parliamentary members were elected by select clan leaders and regional representatives.



 

 The presidential candidates debated Monday before parliament. Running for re-election, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the next polls will be better.

 

 The president said, “We will build a national system that is democratic and represents Somalis. The system will lead to a formation of political parties, not a system made up of clans, region, and groups. I will lead the country to one man, one vote system in the year 2020.”

 

 But former Mogadishu mayor and presidential candidate Mohamud Tarzan Nur said he did not like what he saw during the debate.

Nur said, “The people of Somalia are hopeful. They want you to listen to the presidential candidates and elect who is qualified to lead." He said the chamber was almost empty, "It is sad and it seems those who are not here have already made up their mind who they are going to vote for.”

 

 The incumbent is expected to get stiff competition from his predecessor, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

 

 With so many candidates, the voting is expected to require multiple rounds Wednesday. Somali media has been abuzz for days with reports of candidates forming alliances, pledging support if eliminated.

 

 Some presidential hopefuls have been accused of bribing lawmakers to vote for them.

 

 During the lower house elections, some candidates’ names were removed from the list and races had to be re-run after corruption and other electoral offenses were detected.

 

 The chairman of the independent anti-corruption committee Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar said Monday the committee is on alert.

He said for a credible result, the process must be transparent. He added Somalia must reduce corruption and lawmakers need to be transparent in their actions, and if lawmakers observe others receiving and taking bribes, they need to report them to the relevant authorities to take action.

 

 But analysts say candidates will also be peddling influence. Power-sharing agreements and cabinet posts will be valuable bargaining chip as votes are cast.</s>A traffic ban has been imposed and major roads sealed off in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, ahead of a presidential vote.

MPs will gather at the airport to elect a new head of state.

On Tuesday evening, suspected Al-Shabab militants launched a series of attacks, with two mortar rounds fired close to the venue where the vote will be held.

Residents in Arbacow village outside Mogadishu say jihadists attacked an African Union military base there.

More than 20 candidates are vying to become Somali president, with the top three proceeding to a second round of voting and the top two from that round going forward to a third and final vote.

Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for re-election and analysts say he is likely to be one of those who goes forward to the later rounds.

Results are expected later on today.

The airport is viewed as the most secure site in the Somali capital and voting was moved there from a police academy because of growing security concerns.

Today’s security measures include a ban on flights to and from Mogadishu airport.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. The Mogadishu-based government is backed by an African Union force, Amisom, made up of more than 22,000 troops and police, as well as civilian staff.</s>Somali capital in security lock down before presidential election

MOGADISHU, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Somali authorities blocked main roads in the capital and barred vehicles from driving near the secure airport compound on Tuesday in a security lock down before a presidential election.

After months of delays, 329 newly sworn-in members of parliament will on Wednesday choose whether to back President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term or one of 21 rivals.

Rival candidates have accused each other of vote-buying, a practice in past votes Western donors have sought to stamp out.

Diplomats say corruption continues to hamper efforts to rebuild after years of conflict, while the government is also battling an Islamist insurgency.

"Police forces will secure the election scene and streets, and the vote will take place peacefully as planned," Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Haamud, Somalia's police commander, told reporters in the capital, where pedestrians walked in quiet streets.

Presidential candidates have promised to improve security and the economy. Till now, a construction boom in the bombed out capital has yet to spread far across the rest of the nation, where a severe drought is threatening a new food crisis.

The airport in Mogadishu, secured by African peacekeeping force AMISOM and home to U.N. offices and foreign embassies, is the safest site in a capital.

Al Shabaab, which once rule most of Somalia, regularly launches attacks in Mogadishu but its area of control has been increasingly reduced to smaller pockets of countryside.

The government of the aid-dependent nation and its Western backers dropped an initial plan to give each adult a vote because of the challenge of securing national polling stations.

Instead, about 14,000 clan elders and regional figures chose the 275 members of the lower house of parliament and 54 members of senate. Those lawmakers will pick the president on Wednesday.

The system is a modest improvement on 2012, when just 135 elders picked parliament, which chose the president.

Experts said President Mohamud, who has had to fend off accusations by Western donors of corruption in his government, can rely on the loyalty of about a third of the new lawmakers, giving him an edge but not a guarantee of victory.
Somali politicians gather inside a high-security compound at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu to elect a President for the country, with current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud running for a second term.