Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has submitted a seven member list of the new Election Commission to Parliament for approval.
The list comprises of six male and one female commissioners.
Three of the nominees have been picked by the president, Guurti or House of Elders have nominated two members and the two opposition members of Waddani and UCID have nominated one each.
It is unclear if any of the new commissioners will face hurdles in Parliament, which despite the opposition holding majority including the speakership, has so far been very generous with its ratification of various officials nominated by President Bihi.
New Commissioners include Mr. Muse Haji Hassan Yusuf, the current Chairman of Somaliland’s Quality Control Commission, its unclear if his nomination to the Election Commission is part of a major reshuffle that President Bihi is expected to announce.
Political uncertainly has been on the rise recently in Somaliland where the opposition parties have called for a nation-wide protests and accused the President of seeking a term extension by nullifying existing parties before their mandate and meddling in the Election Commission.
Government and its supporters accuse the Waddani and UCID political parties of continuing the status quo to ensure their political survival.
Efforts to mediate the government and opposition parties are underway and initial concessions include halt to nation-wide protests by the opposition and release of all those detained following Thursday’s protests in Hargeisa.
Voter registration are among the efforts currently delayed by the disbandment of the former Election Commissioners, its unclear if the new commissioners will be able to complete the election logistics in time for November 2022.