Office of the Prime Minister

XAFIISKA RA'IISAL WASAARAHA

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Mudane Cabdirashid Cali Sharmake, Ra'iisal Wasaaraha Soomaliya Friday 13, Feberaayo 2009

His Excellency Abdirashid Ali Sharmake is the Prime Minister of Somalia Friday, February 13, 2009

Prime Minister Sharmarke studied at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he obtained degrees in political science and political economy.Although his family is based in Virginia in the United States, Shermarke holds both Somali and Canadian citizenship.

Sharmarke has worked in a diplomatic capacity for the United Nations in Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone, and served as a political advisor on the Darfur conflict in Sudan.Before becoming Prime Minister, Sharmarke was Somalia's ambassador-designate to the United States.

On the February 13, 2009, the current President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, nominated Sharmarke to become Prime Minister at a meeting in Djibouti. Sharmarke's nomination was widely welcomed, with a spokesman for the moderate Islamic Courts movement describing him as an "honest" man who should bring about "positive changes."

Political analysts are also optimistic about the selection. It is seen as a successful attempt to shore up support for the Transitional Federal Government both among the diaspora and within the country. Sharmarke is considered someone who could potentially bridge the gap between the various groups currently competing for influence in Somalia, as he was based abroad and thus not tied to local politics. On February 14, lawmakers approved Sharmarke as Prime Minister with a vote of 414 in favour, 9 opposed and 2 not voting.

On February 21, Prime Minister Sharmarke had selected a new Council of Ministers, reserving key posts for former opposition lawmakers. Before a meeting in Djibouti attended by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and a host of other Somali politicians and international observers, Sharmarke appointed Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, the Islamic Courts senior ground commander, as the Minister of Interior, and former parliament Speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, as the new Minister of Finance.

Sharmarke also appointed the scholar, Mohamed Abdi Gandhi, as Minister of Defense, and three women as Ministers of Health, Family Affairs, and Rural Development. The new Cabinet easily gained a parliamentary vote-of-confidence. Sharmarke and the rest of the federal government then relocated from Djibouti to Mogadishu.

for more information please visit Office of the Prime Minister www.opm.somaligov.net