Prof. Samatar, Constitutional Affairs Minister Salah Jama elected senators

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Two more senators have been elected in the ongoing race to fill up six of the 11 seats allocated to Somaliland in the Senate.

Professor Ismail Samatar, a close ally of outgoing senate speaker Abdi Hashi has been elected as senator representing Somaliland in the Upper House.

Professor Samatar got 42 votes in the second round beating his close opponent Professor Mohamed Mohamud Allabari who garnered 21 seats.

Samatar is 59 years old is a professor of History from UC Berkeley. He was born in the town of Gebiley in northwestern Somaliland. He majored in urban planning with a Master’s degree from Iowa State University

He currently teaches Geography at the University of Minnesota and is a researcher at the University of Pretoria, and has authored several books including  Africa’s First Democrats.

Prof. Samatar is a renowned political analyst, having previously been part of the election and chairman of the ethics and transparency committee in the 2016 elections.

In the third seat, Federal Constitutional Affairs Minister Salah Ahmed Jama retained his senate seat beating Ibrahim Idle Suleiman by 29 to 12 votes.