Most of Somalia's new MPs have been sworn in following a unique election for its parliament - known as the House of the People. But the people did not vote in a poll that has been dragging on for a record four months - more than double the time it took to pull off India's election, the biggest democratic exercise in the world, in which more than 600 million people voted. In Somalia, only a few thousand people voted for a parliament that would represent the nation of around 16.3 million. This is because Somalia uses a complex and indirect political system and political parties do not contest elections. Nor do one-person-one-vote elections take place. Instead, the 275-member House of People is chosen by delegates appointed by clan elders and members of civil society who are selected by regional state officials. The MPs then vote for a president, who leads the country. A 54-member lower chamber, the Senate, representing Somalia's five regional states, also takes part in the presidential vote. Why are MPs chosen like this? It shows the power of clans in Somalia - they form the backbone of a society in which Western-style democracy has not taken root. They also fill the vacuum created by the absence of a functioning state - Somalia has not had one since the socialist regime led by Siad Barre collapsed in 1991. As there is intense rivalry among Somalia's clans, the system is based on a power-sharing formula, where the four major clans have an equal number of parliamentary seats and the remaining clans are lumped together and given half the number. This makes Somalia's clan representatives political kingmakers. Nearly 300 MPs have been sworn in, following the elections for the two parliamentary chambers. But the choice of about 30 MPs has not yet been concluded because of disputes over various issues, including the eligibility of candidates. The elections were rocked my massive corruption, abuse of power and disregard of the election's rules. It is believed millions of dollars were spent in buying delegates in some cases. Unfortunately, the country does not have institutions that can act against corruption. Qatar is a major player in the political scene. Analysts believe that it single-handedly financed current President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo's campaign in the 2017 vote, and had huge access to his administration.