BOSSASO, Somalia Nov 12 (Garowe Online) - After spending recent years in exile, a top presidential candidate running to become the next regional president of Puntland has returned home.

Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole" arrived at Bender Qassim International Airport in the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso on Tuesday and was welcomed by cheering supporters and members of the press.

Farole arriving in Bossaso/GO

Mr. Farole spoke briefly with reporters at the airport and thanked everyone who welcomed him, while emphasizing his jubilation at returning home to Puntland.

The Puntland opposition leader was then ushered to International Village Hotel in Bossaso, where he answered journalists' questions.

He stated that the election commission is "not a constitutional body" and that he would not oppose the Puntland government's decision to appoint the body. READ: Puntland leader says govt will appoint election commission

Farole greeting the crowd/GO

Meanwhile, another Puntland presidential candidate, Mr. Nuradin Adan Dirie, also arrived Tuesday in Bossaso after spending weeks campaigning in Europe and North America.

Tour

On Wednesday, Mr. Farole visited the airport and port facilities in Bossaso and held short discussions with local officials and managers.

He praised ongoing construction at the airport in Bossaso, while underlining the importance of successfully completing the project so Puntland's economic capital can offer the standard services of an international airport.

Farole touring Port of Bossaso/GO

Mr. Farole also toured the Port of Bossaso and visited Ministry of Finance's local offices.

He visited Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed "Ilkajir" at his Bossaso hotel and the two presidential hopefuls spoke privately and later posed for photographs.

Mr. Farole is one of the founding fathers of Puntland, a self-governing regional autonomy in northeastern Somalia. He held the finance minister and planning minister portfolio under successive Puntland governments since 1998.

Gen. Ilkajir [left] and Farole/GO

He has returned from Australia, where he lived since early 2006 and is a PhD candidate at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

Mr. Farole, who fluently speaks four languages, left Puntland after a political dispute with the region's incumbent president, Gen. Adde Muse, over controversial oil deals that have already led to bloodshed and attracted international attention.

Puntland presidential elections are slated for January 2009 and a host of candidates from inside and outside Somalia are pouring in to compete for the presidency.

Currently, Puntland clans are busy appointing representatives in the 66-seat parliament, which will in turn elect the region's next leader.

RELATED:
READ: Puntland opposition leader calls for nonpartisan Election Commission
READ: Former Somali Prime Minister to run for Puntland president

Source: Garowe Online