The member of parliament Abdiweli Sheikh Ibrahim Muudeey was elected First Deputy Speaker of the House of the People during voting that was held today in the Somali capital.

Mr. Muudeey received 164 votes in the third round of voting, defeating his main challenger Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir who garnered 93 votes.

A familiar face in the corridors of the federal parliament, Mr. Muudeey previously served as First Deputy Speaker in the country’s eighth parliament.

Mahad Abdalla Awad won the post of Second Deputy Speaker with 171 votes as the runner-up Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Baqdadi received 88 votes.

Today’s voting completed another key phase of Somalia’s electoral process, which began in October 2016.

Contenders for the seats included the outgoing Second Deputy Speaker Jeylani Nur Iikar.

“I want to assure you that we will get down to work immediately,” Mr. Muudeey told his fellow parliamentarians during his victory speech.

Two hundred and fifty-nine members of the House of the People cast ballots in the voting for the two Deputy Speaker positions, a day after Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari was re-elected as Speaker of the lower house.