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. 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 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 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. 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.
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.