Somalia’s MPs are electing the country’s president in a heavily guarded aircraft hangar in Mogadishu, as the rest of the country is not safe.
Traffic has been banned, schools have been shut and a no-fly zone imposed over the capital to prevent attacks.
Despite this, suspected militant Islamists fired mortar rounds close to the venue on Tuesday night.
Somalia, marred by religious and clan conflict, has not had a one-person one-vote democratic election since 1969.
That vote was followed by a coup, dictatorship and conflict involving clan militias and Islamist extremists.
The elections are part of a lengthy and complex process to help the East African state rebuild its democracy and achieve stability.
More than 20,000 African Union (AU) troops are stationed in Somalia to prevent militant Islamist group al-Shabab from overthrowing the weak government.
The election hall, a converted aircraft hangar packed with MPs, is at the Mogadishu international airport complex.
It is viewed as the most secure site in Somalia, as the main AU base is there.
The vote was moved to the airport complex from a police academy because of growing fears that al-Shabab could strike.
The 2012 presidential vote was held at the academy, and the 2007 and 2004 vote in neighbouring Kenya and Djibouti respectively.
About 20 men ran for the presidency, but the number has been reduced to three after the first round of voting. The second round is under way, and the top two will battle it out in a third and final vote.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for re-election and he has gone through to the second round.
A total of 328 MPs are voting, going in groups of 10 to cast their secret ballots.
At least 16 of the original candidates have dual citizenship – nine of them hold US passports, four UK passports and three Canadian passports, according to a leading Somali private radio station.
It means that if US President Donald Trump’s ban on Somali citizens entering the US comes into force again, some of them could be affected.
Many Somalis obtained dual nationality after fleeing the decades-long conflict. The US, UK, Kenya and South Africa are among countries where many Somalis have settled.
The militants are suspected to have been behind a series of attacks on the eve of the vote, with two mortar rounds fired close to the voting venue.
Residents in Arbacow village outside Mogadishu say militants also attacked an AU base there.
Al-Shabab has a presence in much of the southern third of the country and has previously attacked the Somali parliament, presidential palace, courts, hotels and the fortified airport zone.
At least 19 politicians, as well as many civilians and soldiers, have been killed in its assaults.
Wednesday’s security measures include a ban on flights to and from Mogadishu airport.
Some believe it signals progress but others are sceptical, saying it will not change anything.
The scepticism has been fuelled by reports, albeit unconfirmed, of votes being sold for up to $30,000 (£24,000) in a country heavily funded by donors.
“This is probably the most expensive election, per vote, in history,” the Mogadishu-based anti-corruption group Marqaati is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
Analysts say holding the election at the airport complex is also aimed at reducing the possibility of vote buying or other corruption during the election process.
Yes. The UN and AU see the election as a building block in efforts to create a stable democracy where there will be one-person one-vote.
They cannot ignore Somalia. It is strategically important for international trade, as it lies along the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Foreign navies, including those of the US and China, have a strong presence in the region. They have succeeded in reducing piracy, which was a very big problem until a few years ago.
The US also has a huge military base in neighbouring Djibouti, using it to carry out air strikes on militants in Somalia.
Some analysts also fear that the conflict across the sea in Yemen could spill over into Somalia.
There have been reports that some groups are smuggling weapons into Yemen via the Eastern African state, increasing pressure on foreign powers to improve security in the region.
BBC