Somalia witnessed an historic event Tuesday (August 28th) when parliamentary elections were held inside the country for the first time in over 20 years.

Newly chosen members of parliament elected Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari as the country's speaker of parliament, a step considered by many political analysts and officials as the first democratic experience in Somalia's modern history.

• 

  Somali women rally in Mogadishu in support of the historic parliamentary elections. [Adnan Hussein/Sabahi]

• 

  Pro-tempore speaker of parliament Muse Hassan Abdullahi introduces the newly elected speaker Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari alongside other parliamentarians on Tuesday. [Mahmoud Mohamed/Sabahi]

• 

  Newly elected speaker of parliament Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari. [Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP]

"I am honoured to have been selected as the first speaker of a [Somali] parliament that is not transitional and I hope we can be a parliament that serves the people it represents," Jawari said after the adjournment of Tuesday's parliament session. "The election was held in a transparent way and I hope that Somalia will continue elections that are held in a democratic way."

"I am confident that this parliament will help Somalia achieve positive changes in security and governance," he said.

Jawari told reporters that the parliamentary session will resume on Thursday when the body will discuss how and when the presidential election will be held.

Also elected were the speaker's two deputies: Jaylaani Nur Ikar, the former minister of public works and reconstruction in the transitional federal government, won the position of first deputy speaker, while Mahad Abdalle Awad became the second deputy speaker.

Political analyst and university professor Abdullahi Mohamed Aden said Somalia has taken a significant step in establishing permanent constitutional institutions after years of successive transitional governments.

"For the first time in decades, Somalia witnessed free and fair elections inside the country," he said. Previous attempts to form Somali governments were all conducted outside the country due to security concerns.

"With these elections that were conducted in a democratic and transparent fashion, the new deputies have proven to the Somali people and to the world that they possess capability, competence and integrity," he said. "We hope the upcoming presidential elections will also take place in a fair and transparent manner for the sake of realizing the aspirations of the Somali people and to confirm to the world that Somalia has entered a new era."