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 Somalilandportal |
Presidential elections were held in Somaliland on 26 June 2010. The elections were originally scheduled for August 2008 and numerous delays, endangered political stability in the country. On 1 July 2010, the Somaliland National Election Commission announced that opposition candidate Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud had won the elections, defeating incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin. [1]
The elections were originally scheduled for 31 August 2008, [2] but the instability in the eastern Sanaag and Sool regions led the Guurti to extend the incumbent's term for a year in early April 2008, [3] setting the election for 15 March 2009. [4] This was heavily criticised by the opposition—in the end, a compromise led to the date of 6 April 2009, [5] which was later changed to one week before that (29 March). On 3 March, it was announced that the elections were postponed by two more months, to be held on 31 May. [6]
On 6 September 2009, the electoral commission announced that the election could not be held on the day planned, 27 September, due to "current political, economic and technical conditions". A new date was not announced. [7] President Dahir Riyale Kahin subsequently asked the Guurti for yet another term extension since it would expire on 29 September, but was denied this. [8] On 28 September however, it was reported that on a second vote, the term extension was granted, provided that the government adheres to a six-point proposal to organise the next elections.
Somaliland politicians then expected the election to be held in January 2010 at the earliest. [9] Later, April 2010 was mentioned, but it soon became clear this date would also be missed. [10] The elections were then expected for June 2010, as the preparations for the elections were underway. The first ballot boxes for the election arrived from Denmark on 19 April, and new voter registration cards will be issued from the second week of May. Somaliland's electoral commission backed a June election on 28 April 2010, stating the voters list had been updated and now contains 1.1 million people. [11]
After a two-year delay, voting for the presidential elections finally took place in late June 2010. A team of international observers led by Progressio, a UK-based development agency (formerly known as the Catholic Institute for International Relations) that has long been an advocate for independence movements, described the process as "free and fair", [12] [13] although they noted violence in the disputed eastern Sool region that led to the death of an election official. [14]
The International Republican Institute asserted that "Somaliland’s election was peaceful, without major incident and generally met international standards. Hundreds of thousands of Somalilanders turned out to vote in their fourth election, and although wanting international recognition, did not wait to continue to build their nascent democracy. The international community should credit such democratic progress and the example it sets for others." [15]
The Somaliland National Election Commission announced the results on 1 July 2010, the fiftieth anniversary of independence from Britain. [16] They showed that Ahmed M. Mahamoud Silanyo had won the presidential election with just under 50% of the vote, [1] defeating incumbent president Dahir Riyale Kahin, who received 33%. [1]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo | Abdirahman Saylici | Peace, Unity, and Development Party | 266,906 | 49.59 | |
| Dahir Riyale Kahin | Ahmed Yusuf Yasin | United Peoples' Democratic Party | 178,881 | 33.23 | |
| Faysal Ali Warabe | Mohammad Rashid | For Justice and Development | 92,459 | 17.18 | |
| Total | 538,246 | 100.00 | |||
| Total votes | 538,246 | – | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,069,914 | 50.31 | |||
| Source: NEC, African Elections Database | |||||
After the results were announced, Kahin congratulated Silanyo and reiterated that he would step down. Silanyo was sworn in on 27 July at a ceremony.
Dahir Riyale Kahin is a Somaliland politician who was President of Somaliland from 2002 to 2010. He previously served as a senior officer in the National Security Service in Somalia, and he was Vice President of Somaliland from 1997 to 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in Somaliland on 29 September 2005. They were the first multiparty parliamentary election conducted in the country.
The Kulmiye Peace, Unity and Development Party, also known as simply Kulmiye, is a political party in Somaliland. The party was founded by Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud "Silanyo" in May 2002, ahead of the first municipal elections later that year. The party is mainly supported by people from the Habr Je'lo, Habr Awal and Darod clans.
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, known by his nickname Silanyo, was a Somaliland politician who served as the President of Somaliland from 2010 to 2017. He was a long-time member of the government in Mogadishu, having served as Minister of Commerce of Somalia in the 1960s, and among other Cabinet positions. During the 1980s, he also served as the Chairman of the Somali National Movement.
The politics of Somaliland take place within a hybrid system of governance, which, under the Somaliland constitution, combines traditional and western institutions. The constitution separates government into an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch, each of which functions independently from the others.
Presidential elections were held in Somaliland on 14 April 2003. The result was a victory for incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin, who won by a margin of just 0.01%. The outcome was initially rejected by the main opposition, which led to violence and a subsequent ban on public protests for a ten-day period starting on 22 April. Nevertheless, the International Crisis Group labeled the election a democratic "milestone" for the breakaway state. On 11 May the Somaliland Supreme Court endorsed Kahin's victory. He was sworn in on 16 May.
The regions of Somaliland is divided into six administrative regions, Awdal, Sahil, Maroodi-Jeeh, Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool. These are in turn subdivided into twenty-two districts. Regions of Somaliland are the primary geographical divisions through which Somaliland is administered. A distinction is made between districts of grades A, B, C and D, with the classification being based on population, area, economy and production.
The House of Elders, also known as the Guurti, is the upper house of the Parliament of Somaliland. It has 82 members, representing traditional leaders. The House of Elders is mandated with considering bills proposed by the lower house of the parliament, the Somaliland House of Representatives.
Presidential elections were held in Somaliland on 13 November 2017, the third direct presidential election since 2003. General elections had been scheduled to be held in Somaliland on 27 March 2017 to elect both the President and House of Representatives, but were initially postponed by six months due to the drought condition in the region. The elections to elect the President and Vice President were eventually held separately on 13 November. Incumbent President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud of the Peace, Unity, and Development Party (Kulmiye) did not run for a second term.
The United Peoples' Democratic Party, shortened UDUB, was one of the three political parties in Somaliland. It was founded by president Egal in July 2001 in the preparation of the elections, which were originally scheduled for December 2001, but then postponed. It dissolved in December 2011 with its members joining other political parties. Two of Somaliland's first 3 presidents were from this party. The party was usually supported by some sub-clans of the Dir.
General Nuh Ismail Tani is the chief of staff of the Somaliland Armed Forces.
The administrative division of Somaliland are organized into three hierarchical levels. consists of 6 regions and 22 districts. Districts in turn contain villages. In addition, the capital Hargeisa has its own law that is different from the law that defines administrative divisions. The administrative-territorial division of the country is established by the Law of Somaliland No. 23/2002, which was finally approved in 2007.
The Somaliland National Party, sometimes referred to as the Waddani National Party and better known by its shortened Somali form Waddani, is a political party in Somaliland. The party was founded by Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro) in 2012, ahead of the second municipal elections later that year. On 16 November 2021 Hersi Ali Haji Hassan was elected as the new chairman of the opposition party.
Municipal elections were held across Somaliland on 15 December 2002. Six political associations fielded 2,368 candidates to contest 379 local council seats in nineteen of Somaliland's twenty-three electoral districts.
War Idaad, also known as Wandad, Waridad, or Waridud is a town in Aynabo District, in the Sool region of Somaliland. In 2008, the surrounding villages were combined and promoted to "War Idaad District", and several more surrounding districts were combined to form the new "Saraar Region". In 2020, these became Aynabo District of the Sool Region.
Presidential elections were held in Somaliland on 13 November 2024. In the election, incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi of the Kulmiye party was seeking a second and final term in office against the opposition candidates Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi "Irro" of the Waddani party, and Faysal Ali Warabe of the UCID party. The election was held concurrently with an election to determine the three national political parties for the next decade.
Ahmed Abdi Mohamud Sugulle "Habsade" is a Puntland and Somaliland politician. He was a decorated Colonel in the Somali Armed Forces and the second in command of the Somali Custodial Corps equivalent to that of the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri but the Custodial Corps fall under the Ministry of the Interior and are part of the Police Force. A politician and respected elder later in life (he was instrumental in the founding of Somaliland and became the Speaker of the Somaliland House of Representatives. In 1998, he was appointed Minister of the Interior of Puntland but was dismissed in 2007 after a conflict with Mohamud Muse Hersi, who became President of Puntland in 2006. In 2007, he brought Somaliland troops into Las Anod, leading to Somaliland's effective control of the Sool region. He served as various Somaliland Ministers of state from 2008. In 2014, Abdiweli Gaas became President of Puntland and he come back to Puntland.
'SSC or HMB-SSCUnity and Salvation Authority of the SSC regions of Somalia' or HBM-SSC was the name of the self-proclaimed autonomous government of the Dhulbahante clan living between Somaliland and Puntland, which was active from 2009 to around 2012. It claimed possession of the so-called SSC regions of Sool (S), Sanaag (S), and Cayn (C).
Presidential elections were held in Somaliland on 23 February 1997, the third indirect presidential election since the country declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. The elections took place towards the end of the Hargeisa Conference, held between October 1996 and February 1997. The election resulted in incumbent President Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal being reelected to a four-year term by an electoral college of elders who made up the national guurti(council of elders). Egal's closest competitor was Minister of Finance Suleiman Mohamoud Adan, who was also formerly in the cabinet of inaugural President Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur.
Abdisamad Haji Abdilahi Diriye Warsame, also known as "Gamgam", was a chief of staff of the Somaliland Armed Forces.
