On Thursday, Somalia’s parliament elected a veteran politician as speaker of the lower house, as the fragile country moves closer to holding a postponed presidential election.

The election has been delayed by more than a year, and it has been marred by deadly violence and a power struggle between the current president and the prime minister.

International partners in Somalia have pushed for the process to move faster, fearing that the delays would divert attention away from the country’s many problems, including the fight against Al-Shabab extremists and the threat of famine.