The DSRCC said Mr. Mohamoud was elected the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia in a free, fair and transparent process.

He pledged the support of the African Union Commission and that of AMISOM in particular to Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, his government and the people of Somalia and promised to work with him as he embarks on the task ahead of rebuilding the country.

“More importantly, I recognize the role played by the people of Somalia individually and as a nation and in whatever capacity to ensure that this country not only elects a new president in a process that reflects the wishes of majority of citizens but also to bring to a successful end the transition period,” said Wamunyinyi.

“The immense contribution of the international community in the entire process cannot be ignored. I wish therefore to salute the contributions of representatives of the International Community and in particular Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, the UN Special Representative for Somalia in particular for the unwavering support and guidance throughout the entire political process,” he added.

Wamunyinyi recognized the enormous contribution of all security forces and AMISOM in particular for ensuring that the process of ending the transitional period including the National Constituent Assembly, the Technical Selection Committee (TSC) and the election of the President takes place without any major security incident.

He expressed his satisfaction that the process of ending the transition despite being a difficult one with a lot of obstacles as largely been inclusive and participatory.

The AU Deputy Special Representative cautioned however that the election of the new President and the end of the transition period is not an end in itself but the beginning of a huge task which the people of Somalia must embark on to rebuild the country’s infrastructure which has been destroyed by more than two decades of fighting.

“As a matter of priority, I have no doubt that the President Elect will give special attention to the rebuilding and strengthening of key government institutions and the Public Service in particular to allow for an improvement in the delivery of services to the people. AMISOM is ready to support the Somali government in this area,” he said.

Wamunyinyi also emphasized the importance of the ongoing programme of rebuilding the Somali Security Forces (SNF) and reaffirmed AMISOM’s commitment to working with the new government in implementing the National Security Stabilization Plan.