( CNN ) -- Somali lawmakers are scheduled to choose the next president Monday , moving the nation a step closer to its first stable central government since the 1991 ouster of a dictator . The new parliament , which was selected last month , will hold a ballot to choose the president from about two dozen candidates . In a letter to lawmakers , the United Nations called for a credible leader who can propel the African nation toward peace . `` After two decades of civil war , a collapsed state and innumerable indignities to the proud Somali people , we are hours away from the election of a new president , '' said Augustine P. Mahiga , the U.N. envoy to the nation . `` The event that will completely end the transitional period and move us toward a phase of political and socio-economic transformation . '' More : Obama moves to ban charcoal from Somalia . The scheduled vote is the latest in a series of political transitions in the nation . In recent weeks , it has adopted a provisional constitution , held an inaugural meeting of its new parliament and appointed that body 's speaker . `` It has not been easy getting us to this point , '' Mahiga said . `` There have been moments when all seemed lost and we have sometimes been on the brink of despair . '' Candidates include incumbent President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed , who has been in power since 2009 , and his prime minister , Abdiweli Mohamed Ali . Dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown 21 years ago , sparking years of warring militias and a transitional government that has remained shaky at best . Over the years , lawmakers have met in neighboring Kenya and Djibouti because of lack of security in Somalia . More : Libyan weapons falling into Somali al Qaeda 's hands . African Union and Somali troops are battling Al-Shabaab militants , an al Qaeda-linked group that controls part of the nation 's south . In recent months , the troops have driven the militants out of Mogadishu , and the capital is slowly trickling back to normalcy . Coalition forces are exerting control in more areas , but it is not secure enough to hold a nationwide vote . The militant Islamist group has waged an insurgency against the weak transitional government since 2007 .
A new parliament selected last month will hold a ballot to pick a president . The ballot comes after years of conflict between militants and government forces . TL;DR At least 10 people were killed in an attack on the presidential palace in Bamako, Mali, officials said Sunday, as fighting continued for control of the capital city following a coup attempt by soldiers