By: Abdilahi H Darwish
ERIGAVO (Somalilandsun) – Disputed local council elections results for Sanaag region still prevail.
The Sanaag regional high is yet to act on a request by a number of candidates from different political parties who want the court to deter the National election Commission-NEC from announcing local council election results for the Erigavo local council in Sanaag region until a recount is undertaken.
According to the results released by the Erigavo district and Sanaag NEC regional offices, of the 66,988 total of votes cast Wadani party is leading after having garnered 18,828 votes (6 seats) followed by Kulmiye with 15,866 votes (5 seats), Umadda 13,919 votes (4 seats), UCID 5,658 votes (2 seats), Rays 5,114 votes (2 seats) while both Haqsoor with 4,898 votes and Dalsan with 2,714 votes got a seat each.
Following delays emanating from the regional court in stopping NEC utilizing the disputed results, the litigating candidates who are mostly those that lost their bid to become councilors confronted the regional high court judge Ahmed Salah Yonis who promised action not later than Wednesday.
Upon presenting their selves at the high court On Thursday the expectant litigants were yet again dismayed to learn from Judge Ahmed Salah that the regional NEC office has refused to answer his summons for discussion of the matter. “I shall discuss the matter with court officials today (Thursday) and reach our judgment” Ahmed Salah told the litigants.
The second promise ended as the first one since the court officials, for reasons known to them alone, failed to meet thus the situation remains the same.
Considering that the Election body is now expected to release the national results tally, the Erigavo dispute remains in limbo.
The losing parties led by Rays contend that the election results are fraudulent because the tally released by NEC is not factual since they (results) give figures from polling centres where elections voting did not take place.
Rays party which pulls most of its support from the Sanaag region further contends that the election body under coercion from or in cahoots with the ruling Kulmiye party denied agents of the party entrance or presence in polling stations.
During an interview with Bulsho TV, Rays party officials displayed ballot papers meant for a number of polling centres where voting never took place but results indicating that Kulmiye and Wadani scooped most votes.
Also shown to the public at the Bulsho TV interview were three agents with facial injuries said to have been inflicted by Kulmiye party operatives through lit cigarettes after having been tied to trees that abounded with biting ants. This was done after the said agents refused orders not to undertake their agent duties.
Edited by; Yusuf M Hasan with reporting by Abdilahi Hussein Darwish
