[5] His family belongs to the Osman Mahamoud sub-clan of the larger Majeerteen Harti Darod clan,[6] and originally hails from Somalia's northeastern Puntland region.

[7] Sharmarke has worked in a diplomatic capacity for the United Nations in Sri Lanka 2006 and Sierra Leone,[6][8] and served as a political advisor on the Darfur conflict in Sudan.

[9] Sharmarke's nomination was widely welcomed, with a spokesman for the moderate Islamic Courts movement describing him as an "honest" man who should bring about "positive changes.

Despite Madobe agreeing to relieve himself of his duties as Speaker, the incumbent President Sharif announced shortly afterwards his dismissal of Prime Minister Sharmarke and his intention of forming a new government.

Ould-Abdallah himself came under fire for his reportedly disruptive role in the continuing conflict in southern Somalia, including meddling in local politics and attempting to advance foreign agendas.

[17][18] In response, Prime Minister Sharmarke told the press that Sharif did not have the authority to dismiss him, and stated that he would remain in office until parliament passes a vote of no confidence.

So no parliament has cast the vote against the government.”[20] On May 18, a top official with the African Union urged the federal leaders to settle their differences and unite to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Associates of Sharif's also reportedly attempted to persuade Sharmarke to resign, but the Premier again refused to step down and vowed instead to remain in office until his tenure constitutionally expires.

[25] Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, the incumbent President of Somalia's autonomous Puntland region in the northeast, attempted to help settle the dispute, warning that if not resolved amicably, the rift could result in the ultimate collapse of the Transitional Federal Government.

[27] On September 14, it was reported that the Premier had convened with MPs and ministers at the presidential residence to discuss the issue, where Sharmarke indicated that he would welcome a resolution to the dispute but would not step down.

In a parliamentary meeting the following day, Sharif requested "changes" to the interim government; a motion calling for a vote of no confidence in the Premier was then put forward.

[28] However, on September 18, the new Speaker of the Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan reportedly called off a parliamentary session when the vote of confidence was expected to take place.

[29] In response to the rift, representatives from the United Nations, the African Union and IGAD, who had already tried to serve as mediators, released a joint statement warning that the dispute is unhelpful and self-defeating.

[28] Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole in an interview likewise urged the federal government's leaders to set aside their differences for the sake of the country.

[29] Critics have also accused President Sharif of attempting to force Prime Minister Sharmarke out of office to remain in power beyond his term's expiry in August 2011.

[27] In May 2010, the Parliamentary Speaker Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe resigned after parliament voted to remove him from office due to a rift between him and Prime Minister Sharmarke.

The first such envoy in over two decades, he headed the Somali federal government's reopened embassy in Washington, D.C.[32] On 17 December 2014, Sharmarke was reappointed Prime Minister of Somalia by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

According to Federal Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari, of the 224 MPs present at the parliamentary session, 218 voted in favor of the appointment, none rejected it or abstained, and six left the hall.

[41] On 25 December, Sharmarke officially took office at a handover ceremony in Villa Somalia attended by President Mohamud, outgoing cabinet ministers, and legislators, among other guests.

[43] Sharmarke indicated that he selected the new Council of Ministers after intensive consultations with local stakeholders, with the aim of balancing the public interest with governmental continuation and administrative priorities.

[53] In January 2015, Prime Minister Sharmarke met with the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi at his Mogadishu office.

The officials touched on various matters of bilateral interest, including military operations, governmental re-institutionalization, maritime security, and the local reconstruction process.

According to the Prime Minister, the workshop's goals constitute a social contract between the government and its citizenry, inaugurating a new ethos of administrative planning, cooperation and accountability.

[61][62] In April 2015, Prime Minister Sharmarke and President Mohamud in conjunction with the Federal Cabinet officially launched the Special Task Force on Remittances (STFR).

It is also empowered to coordinate and speed up the endorsement of financial governance instruments and transparency associated legislation, such as the laws on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT).

In accordance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)'s recommendations, the STFR is in turn slated to oversee the Somali federal government's campaign to ratify various international treaties.

The Task Forces' membership is scheduled to be announced shortly, and will be drawn from government institutions, the remittance industry, banks and other key private sector stakeholders.

He also noted that diplomatic ties between both nations date to the independence period in the 1960s, and remarked on the remittances sent to Somalia by Somali expatriates as well as Sweden's traditional respect for other cultures and religions.

[67] On 5 May 2015, Sharmarke, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other senior government officials met with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.