President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia has declared his candidacy for the long-delayed presidential elections scheduled for later this month.
In a televised speech, the incumbent, known as Farmajo, said, “I’m announcing my re-election candidature.” “I demand that both houses of parliament vote in my favor.”
Farmajo, who was elected president in February 2017, will face dozens of other contenders for the country’s top job in elections that were initially slated for February 2021. Other candidates include Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, two previous presidents, Hassan Ali Khaire, the former prime minister, and Said Abdullahi Deni, the head of the oil-rich region of Puntland.
Aspirants seeking to be eligible for the race officially registered at the office of parliamentary organizing committee of the presidential elections in Mogadishu on Sunday.