Minneapolis Star Tribune
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
There are no bumper stickers. No campaign buttons either. But make no
mistake about it, Abdimalik Askar is serious about his bid to become
the next president of Somalia.
The "Askar 2012" campaign, launched earlier this year at a news
conference in Minneapolis and broadcast online around the world,
includes a slogan he coined himself: "Rebuilding Somalia."
That Askar lives here in Minnesota and not in Somalia, where the next president will be chosen in August, doesn't trouble him.
About half the candidates live outside the war-torn East African
nation. That includes about 10 hopefuls who call the United States home.
"I have seen many people from the U.S. or from Minnesota run before,"
said Saeed Fahia, executive director of the Confederation of Somali
Community in Minnesota who knows Askar and is following the race.
That's not surprising when you consider that Minnesota has the
largest Somali population in the country. Last year, the candidates even
held a debate in Minnesota, Fahia recalled.
Most Somalis in the know say a political novice such as Askar doesn't
have much of a chance of becoming president. Especially since ordinary
people aren't the ones voting. Members of Somalia's parliament will
choose the next president.
Askar, 36, of Minneapolis, says he is running because he thinks he can help his native country.
A familiar face among many Minnesota Somalis, he is the former host
of Somali Media, a cable-access TV program. These days, he's working as
the show's producer.
He's lived in Minnesota since 1993 and was among the first wave of
Somali refugees to settle here. For years, he said, he's watched with
horror and sadness the deterioration of Somalia. Schools and hospitals
are few and far between, and violence and famine have put more lives in
peril.
Then this year, he said, "I thought I have to do something." So he joined the Somali presidential race.