As Donors tie Polls Support to Registration Law and New Election Body
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Members of the International Community-IC that are stakeholders in the Somaliland democratization process are ready to fund elections slated for mid 2015.
This development follows a meeting between the IC composed Somaliland Democratization Monitoring Committee-SDMC and the leaders of the three official political parties held in Nairobi.
The SDMC meeting with the chairs of ruling Kulmiye and opposition parties of Wadani and UCID, Muse Behi, Abdirahman Irro and Eng Feisal Ali Warabe respectively also concluded with a number of agreements namely that
• The voter registration bill now at the Elders chambers of Guurti is approved immediately.
• The new National Elections Commission-NEC is made operational and
• Presidential and parliamentary Elections slated for mid 2015 are held on time.
This was revealed during a press briefing by the trio of political leaders upon their return from the SDMC meeting in the Kenyan Capital.
In Unisom the trio of Behi, Irro and Warabe informed that during the SDMC meeting they briefed on the status of Election preparations while concurring that the registration law and NEC should be approved expeditiously.
The Somaliland democratization stakeholders are reported to have given a brief of their position as pertains to funding which they said it is available in lieu of finalizing the registration law and institutionalizing the newly constituted Election body.
The Chairman of Kulmiye the Somaliland ruling party informed that SDMC was prepared to provide their share of election funds as well as related technical knowhow on time, while the government revealed determination to facilities timely polls.
According to the Chairman of Wadani of party cum speaker parliament Abdirahman Irro the donor community was assured of expedited approval of registration law and incoming elections body.
Eng Feisal Ali Warabe of UCID who extended thanks to the Academy for Peace and Development that facilitated the meeting said that the agreement reached in Nairobi is testimony that Somaliland is a democratic country where elections are of import and always held on time.
While on transit in Addis Ababa the trio of political leaders also held talks with the British Ambassador to Ethiopia on issues related to the forthcoming elections and UK’s part in making them successful.
