Preliminary results from Somaliland’s presidential election show opposition candidate Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi “Irro” of the Wadani Party holding a substantial lead over incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi.
The counting of votes began after sunset, but the official results will take up to a week to be announced, according to the region’s electoral commission.
The Chairman of the Somaliland Electoral Commission, Muse Hassan Haji, stated that the results from each district and polling station would be available within two days.
“When the district results are finalized, they will be forwarded to the regional level and then to the central headquarters of the commission. The overall tallying of these various results from the polling station level, district level, and regional level will take seven days,” said Chairman Muse.
With approximately 75% of votes counted, representing about 70% of polling stations across the country including the capital Hargeisa, Dr. Irro has garnered 285,000 votes (63.84%), while incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi trails with 158,000 votes (35.4%). The third candidate, Faisal Ali Warabe of the UCID Party, has received 3,000 votes (0.7%).
The election witnessed lower turnout than anticipated, with only about 680,000 votes cast out of 1.2 million registered voters. Despite the modest participation, election officials report that the process remained peaceful throughout the country.
Current counting shows Dr. Abdirahman Irro maintaining a consistent lead of 127,000 votes.
In a parallel contest for political party status, preliminary results show:
- Waddani Party leading with 124,384 votes
- KAAH securing 67,020 votes
- KULMIYE Party receiving 65,597 votes
- Horseed 49,705 votes
- Hillaac 28,107 votes
This election marked a significant shift in Somaliland’s political landscape, featuring competition between the three established national parties (Waddani, Kulmiye, and UCID) and seven new political organizations: Barwaaqo, Talo Wadaag, Rajo, Shacabka, Kaah, Hillaac, and Horseed.
The Electoral Commission continues to process the remaining ballots, with final results expected to provide a clearer picture of both the presidential race and the future composition of Somaliland’s political party system.
