Somalia's region of Puntland newly elect President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali GAROWE, Somalia — Parliament narrowly elected former prime minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali as president of Somalia's region of Puntland on Wednesday, backing his campaign against corruption and insecurity in the relatively peaceful region. At the tip of the Horn of Africa and with a third of Somalia's population of about 10 million, the semi-autonomous Puntland spans the north of Somalia and has largely escaped the worst of the country's upheaval of the last 20 years. Somalia's central government and foreign powers advocating a loose federal political system in Somalia have held Puntland up as a possible model, having avoided the worst of a seven-year insurgency fought by militants seeking to impose a strict interpretation of sharia law on the country. But acts of insecurity have risen, the latest in which seven people were killed in a car bomb attack on an armed convoy escorting two foreigners working for a company training local security forces on Dec. 5 in Bosasso, a coastal city. The authorities and Western diplomats are concerned Al-Shabab may seek to strengthen ties with al Qaeda cells in Yemen, which is separated by the narrow Gulf of Aden. Saciid Hassan Shire, the speaker for Puntland's parliament, declared Ali, an economist, the president-elect with 33 votes against outoing leader Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamed Farole who got 32 votes in a run-off during the third round of voting by deputies. “I promise progress and peace for Puntland in the coming five years, let's all work together in improving the security and development,” Ali said after his victory. During the campaign, Ali accused his main rival of corruption and failing to curb insecurity. Farole has denied the allegations. — Reuters
