Nationalist, Yes it will be a difficult choice. Although I dont think now Addow has much of a chance, especially after he dragged out the election into the third round and actually LOST votes. He will also be no help in dealing with the Mogadishu warlords... It will most likely be between H. Aidiid and M. Qanyare. But Aidiid is young and he knows he has many years in politics ahead of him; so he does not need the PM position. And I've heard M. Dheere is going to be Interior Minister. p.s. I didn't think H. Aidiid still controlled all those areas in Xamar...

I still think there is an agreement between Yusuf and Qanyare. Especially after all of Qanyare's votes went to Yusuf in the third round. In addition to his standing in Xamar.... He also gave a very good interview today on the BBC. It begins about 6:30 into the program. Listen Here

President Kibaki with Somalia’s President-elect, Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, at State House, Nairobi, yesterday. They held a closed-door meeting before addressing the press on the just-concluded historic elections and the future of a new Somalia. Pic by Hudson Wainaina Nairobi: Excited refugees jubilate in city http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=2887 NFD: Gunfire as thousands welcome new govt http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news_s.php?articleid=2903

Somalis realize this is the best chance for peace and government since 1991. Good to see there is support from all corners. Somaaliya ha noolaato.

Magaalada Baydhabo oo noqonaysa Xarunta Dawlada Federaalka ah Isniin, October 11, 2004 Nairobi (Baidoa.com)- War aanu ka helnay ilo wareed oo lagu kalsoonaan karo ayaa noo xaqiijiyay in uu socdo qorshe la doonayo in dawlada federaalka ah ee ku meel gaarka ah xarun looga dhigo magaalada Baydhabo. Sida ay noo xaqiijiyiiin wargallo muhiim ah waxaa loo aanayn karaa sababah keenay in magaalada Baydhabo xarun looga dhigo dawladda federaalka ah dhawr arimood oo ay ka mid yhiin: (1) Qodobka 7-aad ee Axdiga Dawladda Federaalka ah ee ku meel-gaark ah oo u saamaxaya dawladda cusub"... in ay xarun ka dhigato magaalo kale inta nabadgelyada Muqdisho laga sugayo, haddii aysan qodobka Axdiga ka hor imaaneynin" http://www.baidoa.com/wbdc111004.html

Somali president extends olive branch to warlords "We, those who contested the election of the presidential post, should forgive each other and should reconcile," Yusuf told a joint press conference with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi, where his election was held. Warlords "should commit themselves in front of you that we will work together for the betterment and good future of Somalia," he added. He said that if any of the defeated candidates "has anything against me or has different feelings against me," they should "forgive me in the name of the almighty God." "I have forgiven them and I have no grudge against anybody, but I will seek their cooperation, they should work with me so that we help the Somali people to get out of the fiasco and quagmire that they are in," he said in the Somali language. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/111266/1/.html

Boliiska Hargeysa Oo Iridaha U Laabay Goobo Lagu Daawanaayay Doorshada Shirka….. Hobyonet.Muqdisho.Isniin Oktoobar 11,2004. Wararka naga soo gaaraya magaalada Hargeysa ayaa sheegaya in Boliiska magaaladaasi ay xalay fiidkii ay howlgalo ka fuliyeen gudaha magaalada Hargeysa ay iridaha ugu laabeen goobo ay qaar ka mid ah dadka degaanka ku daawanaayeen sida ay u socoto doorashada Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya, xiritaanka goobahaasi ayaa yimid ka gadaal markii ay maleeshiyada amaanka ay amar ka heleen waaxda cadaalada ee maamulka Dowlada Somaliland. Iyadoo daawashada shirkaasi oo shalay si aad ah loo xiiseynaayay ayaa la sheegay iney maamulkaasi u arkeen mid ka soo horjeeda arrimaha gudaha ee maamulkaasi waxaana la sheegay iney kala eryeen dadkii goobahaasi isugu yimid waxeyna amar ku siiyeen milkiilayaasha goobahaasi ineysan ka hor imaanin xeerarka u degsan Maamulkaasi, waxeyna ku andacoodeen milkiilashaaya iney kharshyo faro badan ay ka galeen soo gudbinta arrimaha shirkaasi.

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: Can't you differentiate between the two voices, one strong with xabeeb, the other simple accented English. Iga raali ahow; Waxay aheed habeen bar

Banaanbax Lagu Taageerayo Dawlada Cusub Iyo Madaxweynaheeda Ayaa Maanta Ka Dhacayday Magaalada Laascaanood. Halkan Ka dhagayso Codkii Dadweynaha Iyo Damaashaadka.

That might explain the slight british accent... It was none the less a good speech.

It was the first chance I have had to listen to his oratory abilities in the English language. Considering his age and the long voting process, he performed well. The speech was very humble, gracious, and compelling. Let us hope he follows through on his promises.

Originally posted by HornAfrique: I mean you didn't see me crawling down your backs when you guys were callin Barre Hiirale.. Barre Huuraale. I have never called him Barre 'Huuraale'; you must have me confused with someone else. As for Bari..the warlord/murderer you were yesterday opposed to becoming president is now an old man . You are adding an emphasis where there is none; it is simply "70+ year old man"...or would you like me to explain further? I, like you, pledged to support any leader who emerges from this conference. What is done is done and we must stand behind this new government. There is a difference between being against an individuals politics and insulting their physical handicap/disability. I hope you can see the difference. But I dont want this day to degenerate into another tit-for-tat squabble. This is a day for Somalia and Somali unity. Let's move on.

Horn, There is no need to insult this 70+ year old man over his personal health problems; especially on a day such as this...

Originally posted by J11: "Dadka Soomaaliyeed, waa kala-dhaqan, qaarna habeenkii beey shaqeeyaan, qaarna dharaartii, anigana waa la wada shaqayn doonaa" - C/Yussuf, The President of Somalia. Actually he said, "Dadka Soomaalida, isku wada dhaqan ma ihin. Qaarna habeenkii beey shaqeeyaan, qaarnaa maalintii. Labadaba waa la shaqeynaya, habeen iyo maalinba." I thought it was the the highlight of his speech.

mojam, Thanks for the info.

For those that didnt have the luxury of STN, a few words from our new President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed to the parliamentarians, dignitaries, and all Somalis. I felt it was quite good. Click Here to Listen

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed wins Somali presidential election NAIROBI : Veteran politician and soldier Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed won Somalia's presidential election and promised to do all he could to rebuild his country which has been devastated by years of factional fighting and lacked a proper government since 1991. If he failed, he would quit, he pledged, after winning a third round run-off ballot of Somali lawmakers held in a sports stadium on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Somalia's own capital, Mogadishu, with its squabbling and heavily armed rival factions, was considered too dangerous a venue for the election. In the run-off, Yusuf, who has served as president of the autonomous northeastern region of Puntland since 1998 and as a faction leader and army officer before that, trounced his rival, former diplomat and minister Abdullahi Ahmed Adow, by 189 votes to 79. Twenty-four other candidates who entered the race earlier Sunday were either eliminated in the first two rounds or withdrew. On being announced the winner, Yusuf stood by an unfurling Somali flag -- a white star on a blue background -- to the cheers of hundreds of spectators. A Kenyan police band played Somalia's national anthem. "Having given me the honour by electing me I pledge before you and the international community to work hard to reconcile Somalis to bring back peace and security and restart the country all over again," Yusuf declared in the Somali language. Since the 1991 fall of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, Somalia has lacked almost all the trappings of a functional state, such as national systems of education, healthcare and justice. "I will also disarm militias," he added. One of Yusuf's first tasks as president will be to name a prime minister who will form a new government. A mediation official from the two-year-long negotiations that culminated in Sunday's vote said Yusuf might not be officially sworn in till well into next week. "I will do my best to serve but if I am unable I will go back to parliament and ask them to elect another president," he promised, before calling for international troops to be deployed in Somalia, "to assist us reconstructing." The African Union has said it was considering sending such a force, but no detailed plan has yet been unveiled. The last international intervention in Somalia was a disaster. A UN mission deployed from 1992 to 1995 provided famine relief but failed to restore peace, while a US force sent to protect aid workers left hurriedly after 18 troops were killed during a botched mission in Mogadishu in October 1993. Adow was gracious in accepting defeat. "I am ready to support the new government in any capacity... I wish that the next government led by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed will bring peace and prosperity back to Somalia," he said. This election followed numerous similar attempts to reconstitute a national government in Somalia. Most recently, a major conference in Djibouti led to the appointment in 2000 of Abdulkassim Salat Hassan as president of an administration that failed to exert its authority much beyond a few pockets of Mogadishu. Salat bowed out of Sunday's race after scoring miserably in the first round, and pledged to back the eventual winner. Before voting began all candidates signed a solemn declaration vowing to acknowledge the vote's outcome and to hand over all firearms and ammunition to the government, the fourth of its kind to be set up outside Somalia by peace conferences since 1991. Both the president and government will have a five-year mandate, after which general elections are meant to be held inside Somalia. The international community has also pledged its support for whoever wins the vote. But the administration in Somaliland, a self-declared independent region in the northwest, has refused to play any part in this electoral process or to recognise its outcome. - AFP

S'Net seems down as well.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed ® prepares to cast his ballot, during the second round of Presidential elections Abdullahi Yusuf has his hand lifted up as he is elected Somali president. Somali presidential canidate Abdulkadir Sufi, left, hold up the arm of Abdullahi Yusuf. An overjoyed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Abdullahi Yusuf © stands behind an empty ballot box as he listen to the national anthem, after he was elected Somali President. Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed ® addresses the crowd after he was elected Somali President. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed speaks after winning the presidency of Somalia in a vote by lawmakers among 26 candidates in Nairobi.

I send my congrats to the new president. May Allah guide him and help him succeed. Amiin. C/LAAHI YUSUUF AXMED, AYAA KU GUULAYSTEY MADAXWEYNAHA SOOMAALIYA WAREEGII 3aad 1. C/llaahi Yuusuf Axmed 189 2. C/llaahi Axmed Caddow 79 C/laahi Yuusuf ayaa istaagey, oo kor u qaaday, dadkii oo dhan ayaa sacab ka wareegey, calankii soomaaliya ayaa la saaray, C/laahi Yusuufna waxa uu salaan ka qaatay askar Keenyaan ah, kaddib C/laahi ayaa salaamay guddoomiyaha baarlamaanka iyo dhammaan ciod bixiyayaashii... Waxaa markiiba bilowday in askar dhar cad ah oo Kenyan ah ay waardiyeeyaan C/laahi Yusuuf. Waxaa baarlamaanka Soomaaliya laga dhawaaqay in C/Laahi Yuusuf Axmed uu ku guulaystey jagada madaxweynaha Soomaaliya ee shanta sano. C/Laahi Caddow ayaa istaagey oo gacan qaaday C/laahi Yusuuf kaddib markii lagu dhawaaqay in C/laahi Yuusuf uu ku guulaystey jagada madaxweynaha Soomaaliya. Lasoco natiijada uu ku guulaystey..

Radio Free Somalia is reporting there is a deal. This would make sense since he will need strong allies in Mogadishu, in addition to Aidiid Jr.. President Abdullahi Yusuf Prime Minister Mohamed Qanyare Afrax

I believe he was the one who spear-headed the delay in the vote for President to Oct. 10; long enough for him to dismantle the alliance of his opponents. Very wise move. Would the result have been the same on Sept 23rd?

I must admit it is looking very good for the old Col. I wonder who his Prime Minister will be...

I dont believe they have finished the second round of voting; so Abdullahi Yusuf could not have won yet. What are your sources?

Originally posted by Suldaanka: I think Abdilaahi Yusuf's impressive result in the first round will haunt him in the upcoming second and third rounds. Because now he is the man to beat. That may very well be the case. Where the hell did mahamed Qanyare come from? It's very hard to believe Afrax and Barre were in the final six. And I thought Abdiqasin would have made a better show of it. The only woman among Somali presidential candidates, Asha Ahmed Abdalla casts her ballot. Somali presidential candidate Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed touches his forehead as Somali lawmakers began voting for a president. Somali presidential candidates Ahmed Abdi Xaashi (L), Abdul Kadir Suufi © and Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed ® take an oath on the holy Koran. Somali presidential candidate Abdikasim Salat Hassan blocks the microphone as he talks with an official during the election. Somali presidential candidate Abdikasim Salat Hassan arranges his hat during the election