Abdiweli Mohamed Ali elected the new President of 'Puntland'

Former Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has been elected as the new and the 4th President of Puntland - an autonomous region of Somalia. He pipped the incumbent president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole by one vote in the third round after the first two couldn't give a clear majority to either.

Unique electorate:

• The election here are based on clan representation rather than adult franchise. The president is elected by 66 MPs representing various clans (or sub-clans) who man the House of Representatives.

The region:

• Puntland, situated in Somalia's northeastern,  declared itself to be semi-autonomous from Somalia in 1998 out of neglect and discrimination by strife-torn Somalia.
• The state of about 2.5 million people, mostly nomads, has so far had four presidents.
• It, once the main base of Somali pirates, has brought this global threat considerably down owing to government crackdown.
• Many of the pirates, who seize ships off the East African coast for ransom, have retreated to the south in search of safe haven.
• The state is relatively peaceful compared to other parts of Somalia. Militant Islamist group al-Shabab, ruling the territory just south to it, poses a major security challenge to this state as the region is believed to have rich oil reserves

Disputed Territories

• Puntland has a territorial dispute with Somaliland - a breakaway region in northwestern Somalia - over the territory of Sool and Sanaag region in the Puntland's north-west

Puntland (Autonomous region of Somalia)

• Area: 212,510 square km
• Capital: Garowe
• Population: 2.5 million (2009 estimate)     

Somaliland: A country which isn't:

• Somaliland had unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, after the fall of the country's military strongman, Mohamed Siad Barre.

Brief History

• Somalia was formed in 1960 by uniting British Somaliland with Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland).
• After the collapse of autocratic ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in early 1991, Somalia descended into anarchy, turmoil and Civil War. 
• The unrecognized country of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland.

Somaliland

• Capital: Hargeisa
• Area: 137,600 square km
• Population: 3.5 million (2008 estimate)    

Other autonomous region

• Galmudug: In central Somalia just south of Puntland. 
• Jubaland: In the far south 

Political turmoil in Somalia

• Somalia, a so called federal republic, is a de facto fragmented country with no central authority.
• One of the least developed and conflict-ridden country in the world.

Recent event

• Islamic militant group al-Shabab has banned the use of internet through mobile handsets and fibre optic cables throughout Somalia. 
• The al-Qaeda-linked group still controls significant part of the country.
• Like Darfur, the country is in constant state of political upheavel and humanitarian emergency since 1991.

Somalia: 

• Capital and largest city: Mogadishu
• Prime Minister: Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed (globally recognized one)
• Area: 637,657 square km
• Population: 10 million (2012 estimate)    

Darfur

• Darfur, a region in western Sudan, is at war with Sudanese government forces for independence.
• The political crisis has the region in a state of humanitarian emergency since 2003.