Somali legislators approved the appointment of Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Sunday, voting overwhelmingly for the president's nominee. The presidency said in a statement that 297 of the 392 members of parliament present voted with a show of hands in favour of Mohamed, a US-educated former diplomat from the Somali diaspora.
"We will move with full speed to do the people's business. I will very soon form an effective and dedicated cabinet that will put the Somali people first," Mohamed said. Somalia has been mired in violence and awash with weapons since the overthrow of a dictator in 1991 and the weak Western-backed government controls only parts of the capital.
Western security agencies warn the lawless nation is a fertile breeding ground for militants, while the chaos on land has allowed piracy to flourish off its shores.