More than 240 newly-selected MPs have convened at a police academy in Mogadishu for the secret ballot to choose the country’s new president among the 22 contenders including the outgoing president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his premier Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.

Just few hours ago an additional 20 new MPs have being sworn in to join the 220 MP-voters who were set to take part in the election.

The presidential election has been delayed several times, having already missed the UN-set August 20 deadline.

Winning candidate must garner a two-thirds majority in the first round; otherwise the top four candidates will go into a second round, with a third round of the final two, where the winner is selected by a simple majority.

Today’s election is the first in two decades for Somalia election to take place on Somali soil, a sign that many Somalis and the international community attribute it to the military gains made by the Somali and African Union force in the capital, Mogadishu.

Whoever is elected today as the Somali president has to tackle a lot of underlying challenges including completely defeating insurgent groups, stabilizing the chaotic horn of African country and bring together the already fractured Somali people-who were torn apart by the two decades old conflict in the country.