Hirshabelle House of Representatives re-elects Speaker Abdihakim Luqman Haji Mohamed, President congratulates new leadership

Mogadishu (SONNA) - President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has congratulated the new leadership of the Hirshabelle House of Representatives, after members of the House re-elected Abdihakim Luqman Haji Mohamed as Speaker on Thursday evening.

The Speaker was re-elected with 77 votes. Abdirahman Abdi Idow was elected First Deputy Speaker of the House with 98 votes, while Jama Ali Mohamud was elected Second Deputy Speaker with 97 votes cast by a show of hands.

In his message, the President congratulated the Speaker and his two Deputies on the confidence they had earned in taking on the responsibilities to which they were elected. He wished them success in carrying out the constitutional duties entrusted to them with integrity and a sense of responsibility.

The President called on the new leadership to work to advance statebuilding, strengthen democracy and accelerate the work of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, also sent his congratulations to the new Speaker of the Hirshabelle House of Representatives and to the First and Second Deputy Speakers.

Nur wished the new leadership of the House success and a sense of responsibility in office, and urged them to carry out their constitutional duties with integrity.

He called on them to work to strengthen cooperation between government institutions, improve the representation of the people, and serve the common interest of the people of Hirshabelle and of Somalia as a whole.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stressed the importance of cooperation between government institutions, the preservation of social unity, and the strengthening of peace and development in Hirshabelle.

He said this was part of the wider effort to bring the services of government closer to the people and to enable them to elect their leaders freely.