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Somalis take to Twitter during elections

By , ITWeb
Somalia , 12 Sep 2012

Somalis take to Twitter during elections

Somali nationals on Twitter have taken to the social networking website this week to monitor elections and celebrate the voting in of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud after two decades of civil war.

The election has marked a new era for Somalia, which has lacked an effective central government since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.

Thousands of Somalis fled during the war and are expected to return home as soon as the country stabilises.

For the better part of this week, the hashtag #Somalia was a trending topic on Twitter as citizens, diplomats, reporters and members of parliament posted updates on the voting process and expressed their hopes for a new Somalia.

The hastags #somalia2012 , #Somali and #SomaliaDecides were also popular.

“I just cast my vote. May the best leader for the country get elected! #Somalia2012,” tweeted Abdulkadir Hashi, a member of the federal parliament and former minister of State for Planning & International Cooperation in Somaliland.

Others took the platform to celebrate the little things that make them proud to be nationals of the troubled African country.

“Liban Ali, 23, became first #Somali to score goal in Portuguese top-flight football. He plays for Olhanense & scored against Porto. #Somalia,” tweeted Hmaza Mohamed.

After President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was declared winner, messages of congratulations streamed in. Renowned Canadian hip-hop artist and poet who was born in Somalia, Keinan Abdi Warsame (K'naan) better know for the song 'Waving Flag' tweeted :

“Congratulations to #Somalia for conducting its first home held elections in more than 2 decades. We welcome President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.”

British High commissioner in Kenya Christian Turner added his voice to the tweets as well by posting, “Hongera ( Congratulations) President Hassan Sheikh #somalia2012 successful election all sides must now work for stable & inclusive future."

With the return of relative calm, Somalia's capital Mogadishu is seen as the next potential economic hub in East Africa, as businesses setup base there to exploit numerous opportunities created by the need to revive the country.

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