Former prime minister, a US citizen, wins Somalia vote

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A former prime minister who holds dual Somali-U.S. citizenship was declared Somalia’s new president Wednesday, immediately taking the oath of office as the long-chaotic country moved toward its first fully functioning central government in a quarter-century.

Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conceded defeat to former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo after two rounds of voting, saying that “history was made; we have taken this path to democracy.”

Fears of attacks by extremist group al-Shabab limited the election to members of the upper and lower houses of parliament instead of the population at large.

Lawmakers voted at a heavily guarded former air force base in the capital, Mogadishu, while a security lockdown closed the international airport.

Somalia’s instability landed it among the seven Muslim-majority countries affected by President Trump’s executive order on immigration, even though its government has been an increasingly important partner for the U.S. military on counterterrorism efforts, including drone strikes against al-Shabab leaders.

Tremendous challenges remain for Somalia and its new president, even beyond graft, al-Shabab attacks and an economy propped up in part by the country’s diaspora of more than 2 million people.