# The 2009 Somali presidential election > The 2009 presidential election held in Djibouti: Abdullahi Yusuf's resignation, the enlarged Parliament, the candidates, the voting rounds and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's victory. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/somali-presidential-election-2009/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short "On 30 January, after two rounds of voting in Djibouti, the expanded Parliament elected the Chairman of ARS, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, as the country's new interim President, and he was sworn in on 31 January," the UN Secretary-General reported ([UN Security Council, S/2009/132, para. 10](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2009/132&l=en&t=pdf)). See [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/), [the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia](/en/history/alliance-for-the-re-liberation-of-somalia/) and [the transitional governments, 2000–2012](/en/history/transitional-governments-2000-2012/). ## Why there was an election From the UN report ([S/2009/132, paras. 5–8](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2009/132&l=en&t=pdf)): - **ARS returns.** Early in December 2008, ARS members led by Sharif Sheikh Ahmed "returned to Mogadishu for the first time in two years to commence the implementation of the Djibouti agreement". - **The President resigns.** [Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed](/en/people/abdullahi-yusuf-ahmed/) announced his resignation before Parliament and Cabinet in Baidoa on 29 December 2008. He said he was resigning "to avoid being seen as an 'obstacle to peace' in Somalia". - **Acting President.** The Speaker, [Sheikh Adan Madobe](/en/people/aden-madobe/), became acting President under article 45 of the Transitional Federal Charter, "which empowers Parliament to elect a new President within 30 days". On 12 January 2009 he set up a Parliamentary Committee for the Presidential Election. - **A bigger Parliament.** On 26 January the Parliament voted to grow by 275 seats, "with 200 seats allocated to ARS and the remaining 75 reserved for members of civil society, businesspeople, women, the diaspora and other opposition groups". On 27 January it extended its mandate by two years, to August 2011, and the new ARS members were sworn in. ## The vote, 30 January 2009 - **Where.** The vote was held in Djibouti (S/2009/132, para. 10). - **The candidates.** Fourteen candidates filed, among them Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the outgoing Prime Minister [Nur Hassan Hussein](/en/people/nur-hassan-hussein/), the former Prime Ministers [Ali Khalif Galaydh](/en/people/ali-khalif-galaydh/) and [Hassan Abshir Farah](/en/people/hassan-abshir-farah/), the minister [Mohamed Qanyare Afrah](/en/people/mohamed-qanyare-afrah/), and General Maslah Mohamed Siad, a son of the former President [Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/) ([Wikipedia, "2009 Somali presidential election"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Somali_presidential_election), citing the BBC and Reuters). - **First round.** [Sharif](/en/society/asharaaf/) won 215 of 422 votes, Maslah Mohamed Siad 60 and Nur Hassan Hussein 59. Nur Hassan Hussein and Ali Khalif Galaydh then withdrew (same source, from the African Elections Database). - **Deciding round.** Sharif beat Maslah Mohamed Siad by 293 votes to 126 (same source). - **The UN's appeal.** During the talks the UN Special Representative, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, "appealed to the Somali parties to eschew the concept of 'winner takes all' and seek compromise" (S/2009/132, para. 9). ## After the vote From the UN report ([S/2009/132, paras. 10–13 and 18](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2009/132&l=en&t=pdf)): - **The inaugural speech.** Sharif "vowed to build an inclusive Government, extend a hand to hard-line armed groups still opposed to the peace talks and bring Somalia back into the regional fold". - **Prime Minister.** On 13 February he appointed [Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke](/en/people/omar-abdirashid-sharmarke/). The 475-seat Parliament endorsed him by 410 votes to 9, with 2 abstentions. A 36-member Cabinet was endorsed on 21 February. - **Return to Mogadishu.** Sharif returned to Mogadishu on 23 February 2009. - **Ethiopia's withdrawal.** Ethiopian forces completed their withdrawal from all locations in Mogadishu in mid-January 2009, two weeks before the vote. - **[Puntland](/en/states/puntland/).** [Abdirahman Farole](/en/people/abdirahman-farole/), elected President of Puntland on 8 January 2009, "welcomed the appointment of President Sharif Ahmed and pledged to work with the new Administration". - **Opposition.** [Al-Shabaab](/en/history/al-shabaab/), "which opposes the Djibouti process", took control of Baidoa and "vowed to continue with the insurgency" (paras. 15–16). The ARS wing in Asmara rejected the process and helped form [Hizbul Islam](/en/institutions/hizbul-islam/) ([Congressional Research Service, RL33911](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33911.html)). ## Who suffered? - **Civilians in Mogadishu and the south,** where the war between the government, [AMISOM](/en/institutions/amisom/), al-Shabaab and other armed groups went on after the vote. See [the war in Somalia, 2006–2009](/en/history/war-in-somalia-2006-2009/). ## Sources differ - **The number of rounds.** The UN speaks of "two rounds of voting". Wikipedia describes a planned three-round system in which all but two candidates withdrew after the first round. - **Where.** The vote was held in Djibouti rather than inside Somalia; the UN called the 2012 election "the first to be held inside the country" ([S/2013/69, para. 2](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2013/69&l=en&t=pdf)). See [the 2012 presidential election](/en/history/somali-presidential-election-2012/). ## Read the primary sources yourself - UN Secretary-General, report on Somalia, S/2009/132 (9 March 2009), paras. 5–18: [PDF](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2009/132&l=en&t=pdf). - Wikipedia, "2009 Somali presidential election", with the African Elections Database results: [article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Somali_presidential_election). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.