Somalia’s new president takes charge of office

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has assumed the office of the country’s presidency a week after he was elected by both houses of the parliament.

In a ceremony at the country’s presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu, former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo handed over the power to Sheikh Mohamud.

“I will consult with President Farmajo wherever he is,” the new president announced in a joint address at the ceremony.

In his speech, the former president confirmed that 5,000 Somali soldiers are in Eritrea who have completed their training and are waiting to return to their country.

“It is a good step forward for our country. We are seeing here a peaceful transfer of power today,” Ali Ibrahim, a Mogadishu resident, shared after the ceremony.

Somalia has witnessed more than a year and a half of political crises over the delayed elections that polarized the country’s citizens.

Mohamud, who will serve as the 8th president of the country between 2012 and 2017, was elected the president on May 15th when he defeated the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who had remained in the office for more than a year after his constitutional mandate had expired last year.

Mohamud has appointed Hussein Sheikh as his chief of staff, hours after he was handed over the power peacefully by his predecessor. Hussein was a humanitarian worker and opposition politician.

On Somalia’s smooth transfer of power, spokesperson for Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Executive Secretary Nuur Mohamud Sheekh said: “It means a lot for Somalia. It certainly gained regional and international attention with renewed hope for democracy in Somalia. We hope that this shall further lead to the consolidation of peace and stability in the country which is important for regional economic integration.”