Mogadishu, 10 September 2012 - Today the Somali people have taken a great step forward on the path to peace and prosperity. Today, Somalia's Parliamentarians—in a calm, dignified and contemplative manner—ended the transitional period decisively and selected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to serve as the next President of Somalia. The process was representative and Somali owned. Through two rounds of balloting and in a transparent manner in full view of the world, the process was peaceful, orderly and fundamentally democratic. Somalia has proved the doubters wrong and sent a powerful message of progress to all of Africa and indeed to the entire world.