Somaliland Electoral Commission announces extension

By: Zakeriye Ahmed Horndiplomat correspondent

The Somaliland Electoral Commission has announced today that it will not be able to hold the Somaliland presidential election on November 13, technically and financially, in a statement.

The Electoral Commission decided nine months of extension to prepare all technical and financial issues needed to register voters and hold the Presidential election, which means that the house of Senate of Somaliland will extend Muse Bihi’s presidential term.

Faysal Ali Warabe, the Chairman of the opposition party of UCID, accused President Muse Biihi of eliminating the former Electoral Commission to get an illegal extension. “I welcome the decision of the Electoral Commission to hold the presidential election in 9 months”, Faysal added.

Somaliland’s Waddani Party of opposition welcomed the decision of the Somaliland Electoral Commission to hold the presidential election in nine months. However, Barkhad Jama Batun, an MP of Somaliland’s house of representative and member of the Waddani party, tweeted, “Waddani’s critical decisions should come out in a meeting of the leadership, executive or central council. In this political crisis time, it is essential to avoid political mistakes. A Facebook post can’t be a party’s decision.

The former Chairman of Somaliland’s Human Rights Centre, Guleid Ahmed “Dafac”, tweeted, “Somaliland again failed to hold an election on schedule. It never had an election on time. Election delays and term extensions threaten democracy and are sources of destabilisation and political uncertainties. Election dates shall be fixed and inflexible to political manoeuvring”.