Thousands of people have staged a peaceful demonstration in Mogadishu, demanding an Islamic president to be elected by Somali parliament , Press TV reports.

The rally took place on Monday near Presidential palace in Zeyyed Mohamed Abdulle Hassan Street where demonstrators asked the parliament to elect an Islamic president who can lead the nation towards Islamic laws.

“We do not want a pro-Western president” the demonstrators chanted.

Meanwhile, the Somali parliament is set to elect a new president for the first time in two decades on Monday, putting an end to years of transitional governments.


Somalia’s new parliament was sworn in for the first time in more than 20 years in August.

The presidential election has been delayed several times, having already missed an August 20 deadline.

Outgoing President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is seeking a second term in office, promising the parliament that if he is elected, the Somali people will soon have the chance to elect their own leaders unlike the current trend where elders select the president on behalf of the people.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The African nation is one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world.

The presidential candidates must take two-thirds of the votes to win outright, otherwise the top four candidates will go into a second round, with a third round of the final two, where the winner is selected by a simple majority.

Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, former Premier Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, the leader of Somalia’s Peace and Development Party, and Maslah Mohamed Siad Barre, the son of the former Somali dictator enjoy a better chance of winning the positions of president and prime minister.
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Press TV