The Arab League Secretary General, Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi on Wednesday extended congratulations Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, on the occasion of his election as president of Somalia. He also congratulated the Somali people on the success of the presidential elections held in the capital Mogadishu, considering the presidential elections and the parliamentary elections preceded them as major and serious steps towards ending the transitional phase and building permanent institutions of the state. Dr. Al-Arabi, in a statement, called on Somali leaders to work on forming a government that is capable to contribute to the reconstruction of their country. He stressed that the Arab league will spare no effort in providing all kinds of assistance to help build the institutions of the Somali state. The Somali Parliament on Monday elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamed new president of the country, as he received 190 votes in the second round of the elections, while the outgoing President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed received 79 votes.