Somaliland electoral commission and parties sign agreement on election timeline

By Moha Dahir Farah Jire

HARGEISA, Somaliland – The dates for having Somaliland’s upcoming local government elections and presidential elections was announced this week, by the Somaliland electoral commission chairperson Mr. Mahamed Ismaaciil (Kabo-Wayne) and his deputy Mr. Hirsi Ali Haaji Hasan with the understanding and agreement of the three political parties in Somaliland.
“I want inform all Somalilanders and the international community that the three political parties have agreed to dates to hold the local government elections. The registration of voters will be finished on the 5th of October and soon after on 06 October 2008 we will have the local government elections and on the 31th of December we will have the presidential elections”, the electoral commission chairperson Mr. Mahamed Ismaaciil said.

Mr. Ahmed H. Ali Adami who is from Kulmiye [Peace, Unity, and Development Party, a Somaliland opposition party] said its my honor to be here to announce with pride the dates set for the upcoming elections. Mr. Adbilahi Said Dhere from Ucid party [For Justice and Development, Opposition ] for his part said, “somalilanders are very strong people and showed their need towards independence we have to also remember that peace and security are all we have we have to strongly maintain them”.

Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim Rijal (sajin) who is the member of the ruling party, United Peoples’ Democratic Party, at the end of the agreement said representing his party, “It is our pleasure to have the dates decided upon a consensus among all the parties and I am extremely glad to have this agreement together”. The transportation Minister Mr. Said Sulub Mohamed for his part added that he was one of the founders of SNM and the reason so was to have independent somaliland.

“ but we have to remember and move on with the achievement of today, the joint agreement to decide on is date was one of the successful dreams of all those who was closely watching and monitoring all the good and bad things which the Somaliland government did the last seventeen years, which some of the people were always denying the fact that Somaliland insisted to have freely, democratic and peaceful elections with out even the full support of the international community or donors”, said the Minister of finance H.E. Husen Ali Duale (Awil) in a press conference later during the day.

Somaliland has formed a hybrid system of governance under the Constitution of Somaliland, combining traditional and western institutions. In a series of inter-clan conferences, culminating in the Boorama Conference in 1993, a qabil (clan or community) system of government was constructed, which consisted of an Executive, with a President, Vice President, and Council of Ministers, a bicameral Legislature, and an independent judiciary. The traditional Somali council of elders (guurti) was incorporated into the governance structure and formed the upper house, responsible for selecting a President as well as managing internal conflicts. Government became in essence a “power-sharing coalition of Somaliland’s main clans”, with seats in the Upper and Lower houses proportionally allocated to clans according to a predetermined formula. •