Mogadishu — Former Somali prime minister , Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, was elected president Wednesday after incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud admitted defeat in a second round of voting by legislators. "This is the beginning of unity for the Somali nation, the beginning of the fight against Al-Shabaab and corruption", a triumphant Farmajo said after being declared the winner in a long, drawn-out election process in the conflict-wracked nation. After six hours and two rounds of voting, Farmajo failed to win the required two-thirds majority, but had 184 votes to Mohamud’s 97, prompting the incumbent to drop out of a third round. Celebrations erupted in the capital Mogadishu, and even in Dadaab, the world’s biggest refugee camp populated by Somalis in eastern Kenya, according to witness. Farmajo, 55, is a father of four who holds joint American and Somali citizenship.
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