Somali legislators yesterday approved the Canadian son of a former leader as the country's new prime minister.
They backed the appointment of Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke by 414 votes to nine at a meeting in neighbouring Djibouti, the UN political office for Somalia said.
His father, Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, was the country's last democratically-elected president. He was assassinated in 1969.
Sharmarke, 48, who holds Somali and Canadian citizenships, has held several UN posts over the past seven years. He has degrees in political science and political economy from Ottawa's Carleton University.
President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed named Sharmarke on Friday as his choice for the position after the collapse of the previous government in December.
The men have the difficult job of bringing security and services to a country that has not had a functioning government since 1991 and nearly half the population is dependent on aid.
Ahmed was a key leader of the Council of Islamic Courts that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006.
Officials hope Ahmed's credentials with the insurgents along with Sharmarke's international experience and family history will all help unite Somalis.
Former foe Ethiopia on Friday expressed confidence in Somalia's new president. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Ahmed had assured him of his commitment to peace in Somalia and its neighbours.
Source: AP
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