An openly gay man has been elected president of Somaliland, an internationally unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa.
Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo was elected last month by almost 50% of the area's voters over incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin.
According to Allvoices.com, Silanyo is open about his sexuality and has been in a relationship with his partner for 27 years. They have adopted three children.
Silanyo, who is Chairman of the Peace, Unity and Development Party, studied at the University of Manchester and has a Master's Degree in Economics.
His election as leader of a predominantly Muslim territory, despite being a gay man, is an oddity in an increasingly homophobic continent.
Somaliland, with a population of around 3.5 million people, is regarded internationally as an autonomous region of Somalia but not as an independent state, despite the region declaring its independence in 1991.
http://www.mambaonline.com/article.asp?artid=4753The Newly Elected President Of Somaliland, Mr Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo has never shied away from, nor made an issue of, his sexual orientation. He has been with his partner for 27 years and they have three adopted children. The newly-elected president of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo, vowed Friday to campaign "vigorously" for international recognition of his breakaway republic in the Horn of Africa."During my tenure as president I will vigorously fight for the recognition of Somaliland. The world must recognise our democracy," he said and Mr Silanyo also said that he would maintain close links with Ethiopia and called on Somalia to sort out its problems.Mr Silanyo From 1946 to 1957, he attended the secondary schools in the towns of Sheekh and Amud in northwestern Somalia. He passed the advanced level GCE examinations in London, England, from 1958 to 1960. He then attended college at the University of Manchester, and earned an Honors Bachelor's Degree in Economics (1960-63). He completed his Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Manchester in 1966. Somaliland is a state located in the Horn of Africa. It is regarded internationally as being an autonomous region of Somalia Although no sovereign state has recognised the independence of Somaliland, Since 1991 it has been governed by a secessionist administration .The breakaway republic, which declared its independence on May 18, 1991,remains unrecognised by any state or international organisation.
http://buddhapalian.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... y-gay.html
http://www.humanitariannews.org/2010081 ... -president
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/08/1 ... president/
This is a joke right?
