Mohamed Mursal elected 2nd Speaker in post TFG Somalia

Former defense minister Mohamed Mursal Monday trounced ten other candidates Monday to become second Lower House speaker in the post TFG dispensation in Somalia. He garnered 147 votes against his erstwhile opponent Ibrahim Yarow who came second with 118 votes.

Mursal cautiously opened the lead in the second round garnering 83 votes while his closest rival, immediate former security deputy minister Ibrahim Yarow got 70 votes. Abdi Aziz Hassan, former posts and telecommunications deputy minister came third with 55 votes. The other eight scrambled for between five and 19 votes. Former speaker Aadan Madobe chickened out before the first round vote.

Mursal, Yarow, Hassan and Sharif Mohamed were all to proceed to the second round but Hassan and Mohamed dropped out leaving the other two for the remainder of the duel.

Mursal who now takes up the reigns as the second speaker after the end of the Transitional Federal Government in 2012 was born in 1957 and went ahead to serve in various capacities rising to become a Federal Minister. His shot at the public sector was between 1993 and 1995 when he served as deputy district commissioner in Baydhabo.

Mursal was elected MP in 2009 -2011 and also served as Energy Minister. He was appointed Somalia’s ambassador to Turkey in July 2012 and served until July 2015. Mursal graduated from the University of Science and Technology of San’aa Yemen in 2014.

The new speaker was elected in 2016 as MP from South West state.

Mursal now takes over the reins to replace former Speaker Mohamed Jawari who bowed out early this month after a month-long political stand-off pitying himself and Prime Minister Hassan Khaire.

He will be looking at closing the divide in the House which has witnessed sharp fault-lines since the impeachment motion against Jawari surfaced in March.

GOOBJOOG NEWS