Somalia’s president progressed to the next round of the nation’s presidential elections, though his bid to become the nation’s first leader to be reelected faced a strong challenge from a regional leader.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmajo, and the head of the semi-autonomous oil-rich Somali region of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, will be the top two candidates in the second round of voting, according to results announced Sunday in the capital, Mogadishu. Deni won the first round with 65 votes, compared with 59 for Farmajo, while former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud garnered 52 and ex-Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire 47.
Voting took place inside a heavily guarded airport hangar in the city amid security fears. The government has been struggling to put down a more than decadelong insurgency by the Islamist-militant group al-Shabab, which continues to claim lives in deadly attacks.
