Opposition leader wins Somaliland presidential poll

Opposition leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” has won breakaway Somaliland’s presidential election, defeating incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi. Abdirahman Irro, candidate for the Waddani (National) party captured 63.92% of the vote, compared with Bihi’s 34.81%, according to the electoral commission. A third candidate, Faysal Ali Warabe, received 0.74% of the votes. Ethiopia, Somalia, and the US embassy in Somalia were among those who congratulated the new president-elect. The international community hailed the election as “peaceful.” Musa Hassan Yousuf, chief of the Somaliland National Electoral Commission, spoke with Harun Maruf of VOA’s Horn of Africa Service