Ruling North Western of Somaliaparty ‘rejects’ opposition alliance after resounding defeat in polls
HARGEISA, Somaliland – Somaliland’s Kulmiye Party opposed the proposed alliance between the opposition Waddani formations and the UCID parties, which recorded a major victory in the latest polls, which drew observers from across Africa and the whole world.
The Autonomous Region of North Western of Somaliaconducted the elections amid calls to reunite with Somalia after years of fallout, but it has never regretted its quest for statehood. The region has a functioning government parallel to that of Mogadishu.
Abdinasir Buuni, spokesman for the Kulmiye party, said UCID and Waddani bypassed the process to run for the leadership of parliament, having suggested plans to team up and elect the Speaker of the House and mayors of different towns in the region.
The suggested alliance of the two opposition parties came after neither party won a 42-seat majority for control of Somaliland’s parliament and won the post of president. The chamber has 82 seats and the entire opposition has managed 52 seats in total.
Two opposition parties in Somaliland’s breakaway region of Somalia won a majority of seats in the region’s first parliamentary elections in 16 years, the National Election Commission said on Sunday.
Of the 82 seats in parliament, WADDANI won 31 and the Justice and Welfare Party [UCID], won 21 seats. The ruling Unity and Development Party, Kulmiye, won 30 seats, the election commission said.
The vote had been stalled for a decade by a dispute between the three main parties over the composition of the electoral commission, which was eventually resolved.
“After the election results were announced, we announced a political alliance to secure the speaker of Somaliland’s parliament,” WADDANI and UCID said in a joint statement, suggesting they would jointly appoint a president.
The parties, which also won the majority of seats in municipal races, said they aimed to collaborate in city councils in the region and jointly select mayors.
Former Kulmiye Central Committee Chairman Jama Shabeel has accused President Muse Bihi Abdi of being responsible for the shocking defeat of the legislative elections in Somaliland. His statement came as Kulmiye struggled to come to terms with the losses.
He supported the decision of the opposition parties – UCID and WADDANI to form a coalition to take control of the House. The opposition teams have already met before merger plans which would see them control the House of the People and many local authorities.
Next year, the Kulmiye party will face stiff competition in the presidential elections with opposition leader Abdirahman Irro, with party chairman Waddani in pole position to succeed Muse Bihi Abdi. Over a million people signed up for the exercise which saw the world hail Somaliland’s internal democracy.
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