Somali's presidential election set for February 8

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The presidential election, which has been delayed since last September, will take place on February 8, the election commission announced Wednesday.

The presidential election body released a statement saying that a televised presidential debate would be held a week prior on Jan. 31.

Over 329 members from Somali's Upper House and the House of the People will elect Somalia's next president, according to Abdirahman Du'alle Beyle, the head of electoral commission.

Somali parliament has so far approved that each candidate will be required to pay $30,000 as elections fee.

Current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and former president Sheikh Sharif are among the more than 12 candidates vying for the post.

Somali election is a clan-based 4.5 system since 2004.

More than 14,000 delegates, designated by clan elders, elected the lawmakers. The seats in the lower house were distributed according to clan. Those in the upper house were allocated by region.

On Jan. 11, some 259 Somali lawmakers elected Mohamed Osman Jawari as speaker of the Parliament.