At a meeting at the presidency in Hargeisa in which President Silanyo is to reach a decision through executive order following briefing by CSO’s
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Unless the president issues an executive order the desired proportional representation in the Somaliland parliament shall remain as is now.
This follows the failure by the three national political parties of Kulmiye, Wadani and UCID to reach an agreement even with the full support of participating Civil Society Organizations.
According to a statement released from the presidency in Hargeisa, leaders of the three political parties and those of local civil society organizations namely SONSAF and APD meet with president Silanyo and a team of government officials including VP Abdirahman Sayli at the office of the Somaliland president.
The objective of the meeting was for the three political parties and attendant CSO’s Report back to the president on decision reached as pertains proportional allocation of parliamentary seats during elections I Somaliland slated for 28th March 2017, read the statement.
The leaders meeting with president Silanyo had completed a week of deliberations as to how regional share proportionally the 82 seats in the Somaliland house of representatives, an issue that has gripped the nation in the late and might if not resolved amicably lead to delays in the 2017 elections.
The politicians and CSO reps who reported failure had been deliberating after the president asked them to, in order to settle once and for all the contentious issue in which all legislators from the a majority of the six official regions in country are agitating for proportional regional representation in the august house.
In their briefing to the meeting the Academy for Peace and Development-APD Chairperson Mohamed Farah Hirsi and his Somaliland non state actors-SONSAF Counterpart Mustafe Saad Dhimbil flanked by Executive director Mohamed Barawaani brought forth the following points
Th sat since the thre national political parties have failed to reach a decision on proportional representation the matter should be returned to the executive for action.
That subsequent executive order by the president on proportional regional representation in parliament should be guaranteed acceptance from the three parties. And
That SONSAF and APD should be co-joined as witness to implementation of the process.
proportional allocation of parliament seats at this critical stage is in my opinion not appropriate and that should be deferred to after say march 2017 etc. when the current govt could be more suitable to act on this subject matter.
On the proceedings of the one week deliberations by the three political parties the Civil Society Organizations that were present revealed that the Kulmiye, Wadsni and UCID leaders had proposed but without agreement that
Forthcoming parliamentary elections should utilize the same format as in those of 2005.
Proportional representation be apportioned only a few regions and
A new arrangement be facilitated to enable the three parties share it regional seats in parliament. 
The failure by the political parties to reach any consensus on the acrimonious representation matter in which regions especially Awdal and Sool want changes because they claim, justifiable that the majority clan in the country is overwhelmingly represented to the detrimental of others.
In Somaliland where parliamentary seats are not based on constituencies but on regions shall be very difficult to alter to the satisfaction of all since it is not clear whether the regionally allocated number of seats is based on size of resident clan/s, land mass or population.
What is suffice to note is that the 82 elective seats in the house of representatives are apportioned unquestionable unproportionally as indicated in the list indicating Name, Constituency and profile of sitting members
While Somalilanders are quick to forget history it is exactly such an unfair representation that led to the brutal civil war leading to withdrawal from union with Somalia in 1991.
