Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Wednesday nominated lawmaker Hamza Abdi Barre as the country’s new prime minister reported The TRT World.
“I ask the parliament to approve him as soon as possible. I ask the prime minister to fulfill the work before him like tackling insecurity, drought, climate change, and good relations with all countries,” the Somalian president said on state television on Wednesday.
President Mohamud later told journalists that he took the decision after recognizing Hamza’s knowledge, experience, and ability. He called on Somalis to rally behind the new prime minister.
The president announced the new prime minister just six days after he was inaugurated at a ceremony in Mogadishu attended by several regional heads of state. Somalia’s legislators selected Mohamud as president last month. Notably, the country has not held one-person-one-vote elections since the civil war erupted in 1991.
The Somalian president said he hopes the new prime minister will work to accelerate his priority tasks which include issues such as security, droughts, reconciliation and to work on improving the country’s relationship with the rest of the world.
The 48-year-old Barre replaces Mohamed Hussein Roblewho has been in office since September 2020. He was voted in as a lawmaker in Kismayo, the commercial capital of Jubbaland, in December in a long-delayed and chaotic parliamentary election process.
He served in a number of public and political roles and from 2011 to 2017 was secretary-general of the Peace and Development Party (PDP), the precursor to the Union for Peace and Development (UDP) now led by Somalian President Mohamud.
“I am very happy that I have your confidence Mr. President, and this shows that you believe I can be trusted with this huge task,” Barre told a joint news conference, promising to work day and night at the job and bring together the best cabinet.
