The election of Somalia’s new president has been welcomed by his compatriots living in Malta, after the country’s MPs voted him in on Monday in a landmark achievement for the war-torn African country.
One of the local Somalis used to work with the newly elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
“He defended human rights in the Somali media, which is a very dangerous thing to do,” said refugee Abdullahi Alas Jimale, 46.
“He’s a serious man who isn’t part of the political structure, which will help. And he also has a very good mind,” he told The Times.
Mr Jimale was a human rights activist in Somalia where he faced persecution by Islamist groups for his stand against atrocities. He explained how his work back then brought him into regular contact with Mr Mohamud, who spent several years working directly with Somali civil society representatives.
Mr Mohamud, a political newcomer, won the election in a landslide victory against incumbent president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. The result was greeted with surprise by many observers, who had not counted the academic among the favourites for the presidency.
He is an unknown factor to many of his compatriots, who are aware of him mainly for having developed the Somali Institute of Management and Administration from a tiny institution into the nation’s single largest university.
Members of Malta’s Somali community were noticeably excited about the successful election, as they discussed the result among themselves at Marsa’s open centre.
“Everybody expected Sharif to win, because people were saying that he was bribing MPs and buying their votes, so the result was a good surprise,” said Abdi Wile.
“It’s a great thing for Somalia, to have a peaceful election after so many years. Now we just have to hope that the new president is a good man.”
Jamal Uzin Adan, 20, said he had been following the election since last month. “We all have. Most of the guys watch Al-Jazeera and get their news there, but I think it’s easier to get a clear picture of the situation by reading about it online,” he said.
To Nour Ahmed, the election was one further step towards securing a homeland. “Without a government, I don’t have a country. I’m here, but I don’t have a home.”
That sentiment was reflected by Mohammed Yusuf, 23, who thanked the outgoing president for the calm handover and prayed the election would pave the way to a more lasting peace.
“In Somalia, I was an IT university student with a part-time job. Here, I’m absolutely nothing,” he sighed. “I had five brothers, but only one is still alive. I left Somalia because I’d have been killed too, but if peace were to return, I would too.”
The Speaker of Somalia’s parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari, yesterday told The Times that the election had proven naysayers wrong.
“We succeeded in having a transparent election, with no cheating or corruption. Some news agencies warned of corruption in the build-up, but opinion is one thing – reality is another,” he said, speaking over the phone from his office in Somalia.
Professor Jawari was nominated Speaker last month, following Somalia’s first parliamentary elections in decades. He welcomed Mr Mohamud’s election to the presidency with open arms.
“Both winners and losers are happy at the way the election has worked out.
“People are crying out for change, and we now need to build on all this and work towards a stable democratic future.”