Somalia Lawmakers to Vote for New President

Posted September 9th, 2012 at 11:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Somalia's parliament votes Monday for a new president, the final step in a U.N.-backed plan to create a new administration for the Horn of Africa nation that has been without an effective central government for decades.

More than two dozen presidential hopefuls are vying for the position, including the current president and prime minister.

If no one candidate secures a two-thirds majority in the first round, and a simple majority in the second, the election would go to a third round.

While the U.N. has described the election in the war-torn country as “historic,” critics say the process offers little more than a reshuffling of key figures and positions.

Somalia's new parliament met for the first time last month, ending an eight-year transitional government that was plagued by infighting and ineffectiveness.

Somalia has endured instability and unrest since 1991 when warlords overthrew the last stable government.