Somalia's president Wednesday announced the appointment of former prime minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the country's new prime minister.
Sharmarke, who is the current ambassador to the US, replaces the last premier, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, who was relieved of his duties after parliament passed a vote of no confidence on him early December.
Ahmed had in October fallen out with the president over a reshuffle of the cabinet.
Sharmarke became the third prime minister of Somalia after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected into office in 2012.
Parliament is expected to debate his approval in the coming week. The current administration's term will expire in 2016 to pave way for new general elections under a new constitution, Xinhua reported.
Speaking at the nomination ceremony, the president said he was sure that Sharmarke will be "capable to fulfill his duty and make the country reach the goals of the vision 2016".
"We expect the new prime minister to expedite the process of naming the new cabinet in order to move the country forward," Mohamud told journalists.
Sharmarke, 54, was educated in Somalia and the US. He is a Somali Canadian citizen.
"I want to thank you for the trust you bestowed upon me. I will work towards the achievement of free and democratic elections in the country's 2016 elections," Sharmarke said.
He said he will soon name an inclusive cabinet of ministers, calling for cooperation from legislators and government officials.
Sharmarke, who hails from the Puntland region in northeast Somalia, worked for the UN for a long time and served as the political advisor of the UN secretary general's special representative in Sierra Leon and South Sudan.
He was nominated as the Somalia prime minister February 13, 2009 and resigned September 21, 2010 when he was in critical conflict with the president of that time, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
