Somali MPs to elect new president

Members of parliament in Somalia will vote for a new president in the first vote of its kind in decades amid fears that the election will be rigged and do little to alter the political landscape.

Billed as a milestone in the war-ravaged country's quest to end two decades of violence, graft and infighting, a newly elected parliament will convene at the police academy in Mogadishu on Monday to vote for the next head of state by secret ballot.

More than two dozen candidates are vying for the position, including the current president and prime minister, as well as prominent Somalis who have returned from overseas.

If no candidate secures a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting and a simple majority in the second, the election would go to a third round.

It is the first time in many years that a president will be chosen on Somali soil - a sign of improving security.

However, the al-Qaeda linked group, al-Shabab, still controls many southern and central parts of the country, and has staged frequent suicide attacks in the capital since it was forced out of Mogadishu last year.

Current Islamist President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, in power since 2009, is regarded as one of the favourites among the 24 candidates.

The president's opponents have accused him of corruption - a charge he has repeatedly denied.

Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is seen as one of his strongest challengers.

Despite fears that the poll may be flawed, many Somalis welcomed the move.

Since the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has seen warlords, Islamist militants and its neighbours all taking a hand in its affairs.

With the help of African Union troops, the interim government has been able to gain control of the capital.