The Somaliland Electoral Commission is now hugely divided once again following this week’s announcement that thye presidential elections will now be held in November 13, 2024.
But the opposition has termed thye schedule as illegal while the international community shared their views over the elections time table.
Two members of the Electoral Commission have opposed the scheduling, claiming that the decision breaches established protocols. Spokesperson Abdiaziz Hirsi Warsame, one of the dissenting members, asserted that the announcement was premeditated, going against the commission’s standard procedures.
Warsame also revealed that they had consulted with civil society organizations, political parties, and the people of Somaliland to reach a consensus on the election’s timing, yet the decision was unilaterally made.
Last Tuesday The Electoral Commissions announced it will conduct its long-awaited national union and presidential elections on December 28, 2023, and November 13, 2024, respectively. The announcement comes as part of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland’s effort to resolve ongoing political disputes.
The national union elections aim to identify and certify three national parties for the next decade, while the presidential vote will determine the country’s leader. The commission is urging legislative councils to finalize draft election rules and calling for collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure smooth electoral proceedings.
An ongoing conflict about the sequence of the elections has caused a two-year deadlock between the ruling party, which advocates for the national union elections to take precedence, and the opposition, which wants the presidential election held first. More than ten national union parties are registered to vie for validation as one of the three recognized national parties.
The opposition parties in Somaliland, Waddani and UCID, have strongly criticized the decision made by the electoral commission regarding the timing of the upcoming elections for political associations and the presidency.
The opposition Waddani Party’s Chief Spokesperson, Khadar Hussein Abdi, speaking to the media , stated that the decision of the electoral commission would jeopardize Somaliland’s stability.
“Somaliland is currently in a delicate and crucial stage, and the decision they have announced is capable of causing significant harm to Somaliland. Therefore, our party strongly rejects the decision made by the commission,” said Spokesperson Khadar.
He further stated that the party would consult with its supporters, civil society organizations, and all those who disagree with the decision to oppose the commission’s decision.
Furthermore, the other opposition party of Somaliland, UCID, has expressed its full disagreement with the commission’s decision regarding the chronological and the timing of the elections.
In a press release issued by UCID, it was stated that the decision made by the electoral commission was illegally null and void and would not be accepted.
“The UCID party’s executive committee has decided that the decision made by President Muse Bihi’s National Electoral Commission, which sets the date of the political associations elections on July 17, 2023, is not acceptable as it lacks the required legal basis,” the press release stated.
The party also claimed that the commission had deviated from the legally mandated electoral process and called for elections to be held according to the applicable laws, as stated in their official statement.
The current electoral dispute could consume Somaliland’s hard earned peace, stability and has the potential to add to the Horn’s woes.
Meanwhile, Somaliland’s international friends of Somaliland on Thursday released a statement expressing their views on the schedule of the elections for the political parties and the presidency.
“The international friends (Austria, Denmark, Ethiopia, the European Union delegation, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) have noted the progress made by the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (NEC), which defines the dates for the elections of political parties in December 2023 and the presidential election in November 2024. We realize the concern of Somaliland that it has reached this stage. We are now encouraging all parties concerned to move forward with a political agreement that is the basis for stability.” said the partners in a statement.
International friends called on the citizens and political parties of Somaliland, encouraging them to participate in the elections.
“The people of Somaliland are calling for an opportunity to have their democratic rights in a free and fair election, so there will be no further delay in the progress of those elections. We call on all political leaders of Somaliland to observe the time, which is a way to confirm the recognition of Somaliland’s democracy.” The international friends said again.
Finally, they said that the Parliament should fill the gaps in the law to hold the country’s delayed elections.
“Moving forward, we encourage all relevant parties, including the parliament, to urgently resolve the technical, financial, political, and legal gaps in the GDQ” concluded the statement from the countries that participated in the press release.