Somalia's parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new prime minister,
appointed last week after the war-torn country's president fell out
with the previous premier amid bitter infighting.
Political
heavyweight Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, 54, becomes the first person
to hold the post twice and was given unanimous approval, parliament
speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari said.
"There is huge task ahead of the endorsed prime minister including the formation of a quality cabinet," the speaker added.
Sharmarke,
a dual Canadian and Somali national, replaces sacked prime minster
Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, ousted by parliament after just over a year in
the post and following a falling out with President Hassan Sheik
Mohamud.
The United Nations, United States and European
Union — all key backers of Somalia's fragile government — have all
warned that power struggles in Mogadishu were a damaging distraction for
the country as it tries to battle Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab
rebels.
United Nations special envoy Nicholas Kay also
said the tensions put at risk political goals including a referendum on a
new constitution due to take place next year, ahead of elections in
2016.
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