Abdirahman Farole (Cabdiraxmaan Faroole)

Who is he?

Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamoud Farole is a Somali banker and politician (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Farole). He was the fourth President of Puntland, from 8 January 2009 to 8 January 2014 (same source). This page covers his public role and takes no side in party politics.

Early life and study

He was born in 1945 in Eyl, on the coast of the Nugaal region (Wikipedia). His family is Majeerteen (Harti, Darod), of the Isse Mohamoud branch (same source). He earned a public health diploma in Mogadishu in 1964 and a statistics diploma in Beirut in 1965 (same source). He later took a commerce degree and an MBA at the Somali National University (same source). In 2005 he took a politics degree at La Trobe University in Australia (same source). See Somalis in Australia.

Banking and early posts

He worked as a senior manager and auditor at the Central Bank of Somalia (Wikipedia). From 1970 to 1986 he was director general of the Commercial and Savings Bank (same source). In the 1990s he was governor of the Nugaal region (same source). He was Puntland's finance minister under Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, and later its planning minister (same source). He then lived in Melbourne for several years and studied for a doctorate on rebuilding banks after conflict (same source).

President of Puntland

In January 2009 he defeated nine other candidates, including the sitting president (Wikipedia). He promised to act against piracy off the coast (same source). His government passed a draft constitution in June 2009 and adopted it in April 2012 (same source). Party registration opened in September 2012, and he launched the Horseed association that November (same source).

His government arrested and tried pirate groups and backed a public campaign against piracy led by religious scholars (same source). It trained the Puntland Maritime Police Force, with support from the United Arab Emirates (same source). In August 2010 Puntland forces fought armed fighters led by Mohamed Said Atom in the Galgala hills (same source). In 2012 he approved the first oil drilling in Puntland, at the Shabeel-1 well (same source).

In February 2012 he signed the Garowe Principles with federal and regional leaders (same source). These set out the new parliament and a 30 percent share for women in the constituent assembly (same source). Late in 2012 he extended his term by a year, citing the new constitution (same source). Some officials and residents objected, and protests took place in Qardho (same source).

The 2014 vote

On 8 January 2014 the Puntland parliament voted in Garowe (Al Jazeera, 8 January 2014). He led the first two rounds but did not reach the two-thirds needed (same source). In the run-off Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas won by 33 votes to 32 (same source). He accepted the result and thanked "those who worked with him" (same source). He handed over power on 14 January 2014 (Wikipedia).

In short

A banker from Eyl who led Puntland from 2009 to 2014, adopted its constitution and handed over power after losing the 2014 vote by one ballot.