President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is today set to officially take office from outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo days after he was elected to the country’s top position by members of both Houses of the Federal Parliament in Presidential election held at Afisyoni tent near Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport.
Preparations for the hand over has been in top gear for the past days as the committee tasked with organizing the assumption of office finalized their last touches on Sunday.
Outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo is expected to hand over the reign of power to Mohamud after being at the helm of the Horn of Africa Nation for five years.
The two leaders have been throughout this week meeting at the Presidential Palace where they engaged in discussions on the progress of the Nation, hand over of power and other National issues.
President Farmaajo lost to Mohamud in the recent Presidential election after garnering 110 against Mohamud’s 214.
For the third time at the Presidential Palace on Saturday, the two leaders took a walking tour of various departments of the Presidency.
According to a statement from Villa Somalia, the duo held face- to- face talks where they discussed s number of issues key being the inauguration ceremony of the new Presidency.
“H.E President @M_Farmaajo and H.E President @HassanSMohamud have today held face-to-face talks and took a walking tour of various departments of the presidency, Villa Somalia. This comes ahead of the handover ceremony which has been confirmed to be held on Monday, 23rd May 2022.” read the statement.
Speaking to the Media on Sunday evening, Somalia’s Director of Communication of the Presidency Abdirashid Mohamed Hashi confirmed that Monday’s hand over ceremony will take place at the Presidential Palace.
Hashi asserted that former Presidents, Prime Ministers ,lawmakers of both Houses and the outgoing administration and senior government officials are expected to grace the occasion.
He said that the outgoing leader Farmaajo will for the next four years offer advices to President Mohamud on National matters where necessary ruling the possibility that Farmaajo will become a fierce critic of the regime taking the path of his colleagues in the opposition.
A high level Presidential assumption committee established by Farmaajo on Tuesday last week led by Director of the National Presidency Dr. Mohamud Abdullahi Isse said they settled on Monday 23rd as the day when the hand over ceremony will take place.
A brief ceremony is scheduled to be conducted in the Palace where the two leaders will hand over instruments of power and other crucial documents to each other.
Farmaajo has already moved out his personal belongings to a house located at the heavily fortified fenced compound near Aden Abdulle International Airport.
In his concession speech after the end of the electoral process, Mohamud promised to promote peacd and National cohesion and steer the East African Nation to a greater height.
Farmaajo conceding defeat immediately and pledged to work together with new President and wished him success as he embarked on the daunting task of leading Somalia once again.
” I congratulate the president-elect, my brother, H.E @HassanSMohamud on his election as our nation’s 10th president. I urge all my fellow citizens to support & pray for his success. I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who contributed to smooth & peaceful elections.” he said in a tweet.
Somalia has seen 22 years of peaceful transfers of power starting from the reign of Sheikh Shariff to the current Farmaajo
since the toppling of the regime of Siyad Barre in 1991 which plunged the Nation into decades of chaos and mayhem.
Mohamud becomes the only former leaders who has been re-elected for the second term.
He is taking over Somalia five years after being in the opposition where he vehemently criticized the outgoing administration of President Farmaajo.
