Hussen’s first cabinet broke from clan and regional balancing norms to favor merit

Evidence

[The] first cabinet caused consternation among the old guard, and excitement among young intellectuals. By Somali standards, it is highly unorthodox because the members were chosen without giving due weight to tribal and geographic balance. There was an effort to stress ability and education as criteria for holding office. Five members were from the north as against two northerners in the outgoing Sharmarke cabinet. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1410

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader chronicle of Somali cabinet formation norms from the earlier Sharmarke government chapters.