European Union and International Community have articulated that a civil registration is essential before any voter registration. This is rationality rather than international practice. Civil registration administration accommodates voter registration requirements i.e. to avoid multiple, false and underage voter registrations. Reversing the matter is incorrect, and seems putting the car in front of the horse.
On 19 Sept 2013, the National Electoral Commission of Somaliland, National Political Parties and Ministry of Internal, as the lead organizations tasked with conducting the civil and voter registration programs in the country, signed an agreement called a Two-Track Process. Their purpose is to disprove voter registry dependency on civil registry, on a pretext of avoiding contentious term extensions of elections, escaping “confusion” of the mandates of the Ministry of Interior and the National Electoral Commission, and condemning the capacity of relevant national and local institutions of Somaliland.
Unrelated civil and voter registration is against the law, authenticity, security, and credibility. As it is the worst choice in terms of sovereignty and dignity of Somaliland State. All stakeholders will not escape their pointlessness when more than three years elapsed without remarking to carry out early civil and voter registration. Above all they unanimously agreed that we are clutched by the storm and “have to port the nearest”
There is no mandatory confusion, if not creating. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has every right to identify the citizens of Somaliland. It has the capacity and the resources needed but can’t notice them. The Ministry can call its qualified chiefs (Akils), who are on duty working in their social units (Dia Paying Groups) or customary tribal payments. Every chief has full information on members belonging to his social unit, whether his adherents are in rural, urban or diaspora. The resulted data collection of whole Somaliland (data base) will be ready within two months at the most. It will be institutionalized through the six governors, courts and the Ministry, supported by genealogical experts.
My counsel is to hold a forum for the discussion.
Cheers
Mohamed Abdi Daud
Ex-Governor and Independent Researcher