Every nation is entitled to a new dawn. A day where hope drives the mood of the people; a day where every individual feels they matter; a day that is vastly different from the day before for it gives birth to a nation’s much awaited yearning, and delivers a collective nationhood that many only saw in their dreams. Somalia’s new sunrise arrived on Sept 10, 2012 through much disquiet and eagerness. In many ways, our Jasmine Revolution, the one that erupted in the Arab Spring and transformed Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and gave the citizens of those countries hope for the future, came to Somalia in the form of a historic day gravid with much forestalled optimism and nostalgia.
Many Somalis began their association with this historic day of great proportions with nerve-wracking anxiety as everyone anticipated to usher a day of politics as usual where corrupt, self-serving politicians would return to assume the highest office of the land. Many were sleepless and tense. Somalis across the globe were glued to online live stream TV, others watched the election on TV while others pinned radios to their ears. Social Media saw its share of the anticipation as many expressed their feelings, emotions, and desires. Some confessed to not being able to sleep, eat or even concentrate on important daily tasks as they watched the Somali presidential election. Even for A-political Somalis, daybreak came with much optimism and apprehension. This day was historic in many fronts. First the process of election (selection) was smooth, systematic and peaceful. It began with more than 25 candidates but ended in a surprising run-off between two individuals. For many weeks, the former president of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, was predicted to be the likely winner of the election. But at the end, a new comer that no one anticipated, a political unknown, an activist, academic and a humanist, came out of nowhere in the first round, knocking out of place many well- known politicians, Diaspora academics, and of course the previous PM of Somalia. In the second round, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud won the election by a landslide victory-190 to 79 defeating, the predicted winner..Read more partners site more
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