Concluding the immensely successful 31st May 2021, Parliamentary and Local Elections marked another historical moment for Somaliland citizens. On 3rd August, Somaliland people tuned in to witness the 81 (One MP was absent) MPs selecting the Speaker of the House of Representative and his two deputies. The seats were highly contested by the coalition of the opposition parties (UCID and Waddani) and the ruling party (Kulmiye).
Evidently, this was the case when the opposition party objected to the Chair of the meeting, Pro. Yassin Mohomoud Hiir Farotoon, since he was a candidate for the speaker position. The House of Elders (Guurti) Chairman, Mr. Salebon Mohamoud Adan, intervened and advised that the meeting should be chaired by the Chief Justice, Adan Hoji Ali. Pro. Yassin Faratoon, an MP from Kulmiye, compromised his constitutional right (Chapter 44. Article 3) to chair the meeting as the oldest MP, and no further objections were raised. Thus, the concern was resolved in a manner that befitted the political maturity, stability, and the democratic process of Somaliland based on consensus.
Eventually, Mr. Abdirisaq Khalif Ahmed and his two deputies Mr. Saeed Giirre and Ali Hamud Jibril were narrowly elected as the Speaker and deputies of the House of Representatives by MPs consisting of all three political parties. Therefore, the selection processes to elect Speakers of the House of Representatives were fair and transparent, satisfying the contesting parties and Somaliland citizens.
This concluded the election cycle, and SONSAF, on behalf of the Somaliland Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), would like to congratulate the newly elected Speaker of the House of Parliament, Mr. Abdrisaq Khalif Ahmed, his two deputies Mr. Saeed Giire and Ali Hamud Jibril. The CSOs would also like to bid farewell and thank the outgoing Speaker, Mr. Baashe Mohamed Farah, and his two deputies for their service to the people of Somaliland.
Finally, Somaliland Non-State Actors would like to congratulate the roles played by the President of the Republic of Somaliland. The Guurti, Supreme Court, NEC, newly elected parliamentarians, and the Republic of Somaliland citizens. Once again, the will of the people prevailed, and Somaliland showed its political maturity.
Recommendations
- CSOs highly recommend forming articles that define the Somaliland constitution; Chapter 44, Article 3 is the latest example of where issues could arise, accordingly such definitions of the Constitution are imperative to avoid future encounters.
- Somaliland Non-state Actors would Iike to advise the newly elected MPs to take greater responsibilities to finalize pending laws and amend existing policies and procedures.
- The MPs represent Somaliland society therefore, CSOs strongly advise the MPs to act as a single organ that functions to serve the needs of the people in terms of Laws and policy gaps, and in turn, abstaining from the politicization of their roles.
END
Anwar Abdirohmon Worsome
SONSAF Chairman