Puntland state parliament has elected a new president on Tuesday in a hotly contested presidential election.
Former Federal Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Said Abdullahi Deni has been declared as the winner of the race following the conclusion of a third-round contest which was participated by two candidates.
Twitter user Rashid Abdi took to the podium to break down the new elects name Deni which means debt in swahili. He revealed that in Somali folklore leadership is a form of debt to society which you need to pay off diligently.
This leads to the question will he?
Puntland President Elect has an interesting nickname “Deni” others say “Dani”.
I like former. It means “debt” in Swahili and meaningful in this context.
In Somali folklore leadership is a form of debt to society which you need to pay off diligently. https://t.co/09cNMNTMuB
— Rashid Abdi (@RAbdiCG) January 8, 2019
According to the electoral committee, Dani won Puntland regional leadership race with 35 votes.
He defeated his close rival, Asad Osman Diyano, a former intelligence official, who got 31.
The president-elect who briefly addressed the lawmakers pledged he will move the state forward from where his predecessor Abdiweli Gaas left.
The former president, Abdiweli Ali Gaas has congratulated the new president and wished him good luck in his new role.
Dani was the Minister of Planning of Somalia, having been appointed to the position on 17 January 2014 by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed.
He also ran in the 2017 race for Somali presidency.