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Somali National Constituent Assembly delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting the new constitution on Wednesday (August 1st), bringing Somalia one step closer to ending the transitional period.

The vote came after government forces foiled two suicide bombers attempting to disrupt the meeting.

"Two men wearing suicide bomb vests tried to attack the venue, but they were stopped at the gates, blowing themselves up," police official Abdullahi Mohamed said, according to AFP.

"Security forces stopped their ambitions of attacking... they were shot and then they detonated their vests," Interior Minister Abdisamad Moalim told reporters, adding that one security guard was wounded in the blast.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which follows a string of explosions including roadside bombs and grenades in Mogadishu, many carried out by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group.

Somali political leaders hailed the ratification of the provisional constitution as an historical moment and the end of the transitional period.

"We are very happy today that you... responsibly completed the procedure by voting for the constitution," Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali told the delegates after they approved the draft with 96% of the vote.

"I announce that Somalia has from today left the transitional period," he said.

Of the 645 delegates who attended Wednesday's meeting, 621 voted in favour of the draft constitution, 13 voted against it and 11 abstained, said Abdi Aden, one of the secretaries of the National Constituent Assembly and a member of the committee that is charged with overseeing the voting process.

"The National Constituent Assembly has approved the new draft constitution to serve as an interim constitution for Somalia until a national referendum is held after the end of the transitional period," Aden told Sabahi.

Aden said the NCA has not modified any of the articles of the new constitution, but has made recommendations and observations that will be discussed in the new parliament.

The NCA -- chosen by traditional elders in a United Nations-backed process -- took eight days to debate and vote on the new constitution.

"This is an historic day -- today we have witnessed the completion of a task that has been worked on for the last eight years," Somalia's Minister of Constitution and Reconciliation Abdirahman Hosh Jibril said after the vote.

If everything goes as scheduled, the 135 tribal elders will select 275 members of the new parliament in the coming days, and subsequently the members of parliament will select their speaker and his two deputies by August 4th. Members of parliament will elect Somalia's next president on August 20th.

Mahiga warns against intimidation, bribery in parliamentary selection

United Nations Special Representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga called on tribal elders to uphold high standards of integrity in the selection of members of parliament.

He said those who bribe and intimidate lawmakers will be "categorised as spoilers" and that "such actions amount to obstruction of the peace process".

"There have been disturbing reports of undue influence from aspiring politicians in current and former positions. This influence takes many forms including exchange and demands for favours, bribery and intimidation," Mahiga said in a statement released Tuesday.

"We should not allow parliamentary seats to become commodities for sale or items for auction to the highest bidders at a time when we are seeking to reclaim the true stature of a dignified and respected Somali nation," he said.

"The people who are using intimidation and extortion tactics are known," he said. "I strongly call on them to stop this practice and respect the rights of women to participate in the political process."

Mahiga praised the traditional elders for nominating the NCA members and encouraged them to maintain respect for the transitional process as it comes to an end.