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Votes cast by Somali parliamentarians are counted in the first round of the presidential election on Wednesday in the capital, Mogadishu. Farah Abdi Warsameh/ AP A surprise winner has been declared in Somalia's presidential election — Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, a former prime minister and the popular favorite who was running against the incumbent president. Somali lawmakers cast their votes in a heavily fortified airport in a country plagued by regular militant attacks. Twenty candidates were  whittled down to three  after the first round — including the incumbent, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who had been accused of vote-buying. According to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Somalia, Mohamud won the most votes in the first round, followed by Farmajo, a former prime minister and the eventual winner. "And even though the process was rife with corruption from all sides, a vote for Farmajo is seen as a vote against corruption," as NPR's Eyder Peralta reports from Nairobi, Ke

The Somali Government, on Tuesday, announced a ban on flights arrival and departure from Mogadishu Airport and also beefed up security ahead of the Wednesday presidential elections. The Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Ali Ahmed, informed travel agencies of the flights suspension as well as traffic movement in the capital during the elections. “We inform travel agencies that flights at Aden Adde Airport will be suspended on Wednesday for the presidential election,” Mr. Ahmed said. The minister said that this would not affect other local airports in the country, as the election would take place only in the capital city. According to him, all major roads in Mogadishu will be closed for two days till the conclusion of the election. The Mogadishu Mayor, Yusuf Jimale, imposed a ban on traffic movement in Mogadishu to ensure security of the presidential elections. The Horn of Africa nation, which has been under near daily attacks from the Al-Shabaab terror group, plans to curb d