Aden Abdulle Osman Daar (1908 – June 8, 2007), popularly known as Aadan Cadde, was a Somali politician and the country's first President from July 1, 1960 to June 10, 1967. He joined the incipient Somali Youth League (SYL) political party in 1944, a nationalist organization that campaigned for an independent Somalia. Quickly rising through the ranks, Daar became the local secretary of the SYL's Beledweyne branch in 1946. A decade later, he became Chairman of the National Legislative Assembly, and would eventually lead the SYL itself two years afterwards.
By the time Somalia gained its independence in 1960, Daar had attained widespread prominence as a nationalist figure. In short order, he was elected the country's first President, a position he would assume from 1960 to 1967. Fellow SYL member Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf would serve as the first President of the Somali National Assembly.
In the 1967 presidential election, Daar was defeated by Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, his former Prime Minister. His term as president ended on June 10, 1967. Daar accepted the loss graciously, making history as the first leader in Africa to peacefully hand over power to a democratically elected successor.
President Aden Abdulle and his successor, President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke.
