Political Career
After returning from his studies abroad in Italy in 1959, Shermarke was elected to the Legislative Assembly.
When Somalia gained its independence on July 1, 1960, he was appointed by then-incumbent President Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as Prime Minister. Shermarke's duties as Prime Minister saw him travel abroad extensively in pursuit of a non-aligned and neutral foreign policy. He remained Prime Minister until March 1964, when the first general elections were held and which saw him re-elected as a member of Parliament.
In the 1967 presidential elections, Shermarke beat out Daar to become the second President of Somalia. He was sworn in to office on June 10, 1967.
Read more about this topic: Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
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