Zamzam Dahir Mohamud has been elected to represent Galmudug state in Somalia’s upper house of parliament becoming the first woman to be elected senator in the new 54-member house.
Somalia is expected to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in October and November respectively.
The parliament will be made up of a total of 275-members who are elected through an electoral college system. 275 electoral colleges, each made up of 51 delegates who are chosen by 135 Traditional Elders, will elect the 275 members of parliament. 14,025 delegates will be selected as part of the electoral process.
Somalia’s 2016 electoral process is not a universal suffrage election and members of the two houses will elect the president. Universal elections are expected to take place in 2020.