Turkish-educated lawmaker elected speaker of Somali parliament

The Somali parliament on Monday elected Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, a lawmaker who completed his higher education in Türkiye, as its new speaker.

Nur, who was the ports and transport minister, received 142 votes, defeating Abdulkadir Omar Maolim, who got 30. The lower house of parliament has 275 members. He took the oath of office after the vote.

Nur, an influential politician in the country for nearly a decade, studied international relations at Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences from 2012 to 2016, where he completed his bachelor's degree. He also worked at Somalia's embassy in the Turkish capital.

Constitutionally, the speaker is considered the second-most powerful leader in the Horn of Africa country, after the president.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud congratulated the new speaker, urging him to lead the house in accordance with the Constitution. He reassured the speaker of his and the executive branch's full support.