Elections in Somalia began last Friday. Here is some info from Reuters:
* There are 14 candidates. The president will be elected in a secret
ballot by members of parliament. All candidates run in the first round,
the six most popular go to a second round and the final round is a
runoff between the two leading contenders.

* Technically, a
candidate could win before the final round by getting two-thirds of the
votes from lawmakers present, but members of parliament say that is
unlikely. The final round is decided by simple majority.

*
Somalia's new enlarged parliament is supposed to have 550 members but
only 475 seats have been filled. Seventy-five have been left vacant for
other opposition politicians and civil society groups to join at a
later date.

* Given the size of the parliament and the number of rounds, the election is expected to run late into the night.

* There is a strong consensus that the run-off will be between Prime
Minister Nur Hassan Hussein and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the moderate
Islamist leader from the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia
(ARS).

* Clan alliances that pervade Somali politics are likely
to play a significant role. Eight candidates are from the Darod clan,
five are Hawiye and one is from a smaller clan.

* Both leading
contenders are Hawiye, so their success may depend on which other clans
they bring on board. If one of them wins, they will be expected to
choose a Darod prime minister.
Source(s):
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LU737708.htm
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-30-voa38.cfm

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