Behind blast walls, Somali parliament to choose new president

Somalia legislators vote by raising their hands to cancel a divisive two-year presidential term extension, inside the lower house of Parliament in Mogadishu on Somalia May 1, 2021. [Reuters]

Two former presidents will face off against the incumbent in Somalia's long-delayed presidential vote on Sunday behind blast walls to protect lawmakers from Islamist attacks or meddling by factions within the security services. 

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is among 39 candidates seeking the top post, to be chosen by parliamentarians in an airport hangar as the government's tenuous grip on the nation makes a popular vote impossible.