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Somalilanders are called to the polls on Monday, May 31. These legislative and municipal elections constitute an important contribution to this territory that is not recognized by the international community.
as reported from Nairobi, Albane Thirouard
Somaliland organizes its legislative and municipal elections on Monday. The more than one million registered voters elect the 82 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament and 212 municipal councils.
These two votes are eagerly awaited because their organization has fallen far behind due to a severe drought and disagreements between the various parties. The most recent legislative elections were held in 2005 and the last municipal elections in 2012, when deputies and the municipal council are normally elected for five years. Their holdings are therefore an opportunity for Somaliland to reaffirm its democratic practices.
Observers
The Election Commission ensures that everything is in place for these elections to be conducted correctly. 2,709 polling stations were installed. And more than 1,000 police officers have been deployed to Hargeisa to protect voters.
An international team, funded by the British government but led by the University of London, was also deployed to Somaliland to monitor the electoral process. These observers inspected the polls over the weekend.
The nearly 800 candidates for the two polls, including 28 women, ended their election campaign on Friday. According to the constitution, only three parties have the right to present candidates for the legislative election. A rule that also applies to the presidential election and which aims to limit political tribalism.
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