Somali President Told to Stay Out of Process to Choose Successor

Somalia's president, whose four-year term expired this month, should not take part in talks aimed at resolving a dispute that has delayed the selection of a new head of state, two of Somalia's five regional governments said Sunday. Parliament had been set to make a choice February 8, but this was delayed because new lawmakers have yet to be picked while opponents of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is seeking a second term, accuse him of packing his supporters into the regional and national boards who choose the legislators. The delay has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation