It was when incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's term expired in February 2021 that Somalia was plunged into a political crisis.
No successor had been appointed, partly due to the deadly violence going on in the country, but also due to a power struggle between the president and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who is also a Swedish citizen.
The president's reluctance to step down led, among other things, to street fighting in Mogadishu.
A curfew has been imposed on the capital due to the election.
Pressure from the outside world
President Mohamed, known as Farmajo, hopes to win another term.
But he faces stiff competition, including from two former presidents, Sharif Sheikh Adhmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, but also former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and other heavy political names.
And of the 35 candidates, one is a woman.
The outside world has been pushing for the presidential election because it is worried that other difficult problems to deal with - such as the fight against the jihadists in the extremist movement al-Shabaab - will otherwise be delayed.
To win the election, 184 votes are required.
The process of electing a new president is expected to last for several hours.