Former Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled is the new President of Galmudug regional state of Somalia.
Mr. Guled has defeated his close contender former intelligence chief Ahmed Maalim Fiqi with nine votes in the highly contested regional state election.
Official results announced by the speaker of the new regional state Ali Gacal Asir has put Abdikarim Hussein Guled at 49 votes while Ahmed Fiqi had garnered 40 votes after total vote count.
Federal government of Somalia planning and international cooperation minister Abdirahman Aynte tweeting from the election hall has described the voting process “as the most transparent and democratic election he has ever witnessed.â€
“I am very proud for the people of Galmudug for their tenancy and excellent participation,†he said.
There were three rounds in which six presidentail hopefuls were contesting.
Thousands of Somalis were following the election process live on TV and several local radio stations including Radio Daslsan.
Tweeter hashtag #Galmudug was also trending online where users were updating their followers on what was happening.
“Democracy in action in Somalia, 3rd round votes of Galmudug the presidential elections of Galmudug state of Somalia,†tweeted former Somali President Adviser Abdirahman O. Osman.
“It is a new dawn for Somali politics,the future is bright” tweeted another user named SomaliBreaking.
The election of the vice president will kick off soon.