Somalilandsun: The Somaliland parliametary and local Councils elections 2021 have come to a close .The polls which saw the national elections commission-NEC manage over 2700 polling stations started at 6 am and concluded at 6 pm on the 31st May 2021.
The over 900 candidates sponsored by three theee political parties of Kulmiye, UCID and Wadani were contesting 82 and 249 parliamentary and local Councils seats, from the over 1,200,009 votes
As opposed to current ongoing in Somalia where elections are in dispute the people of the unrecognized Somaliland conducted peacefully not only their first combined elections but also entered the annals of world election history through use of Iris Biometrics voter registration and verification system
The #SomalilandElections2021 which were monitored by a large mission of international observers organized by various bodies also attract attention rom foreign media houses of global repute
International media outlets covering the Somaliland elections, inuncle but not limited to Aljazeera, BBC, Reuters, African Arguments, Macau Business, Daily Maverick, Kenya’s Citizentv and KTN News
“Somaliland’s orderly election and universal franchise stand in stark contrast to Somalia, which is barely held together by a weak central government in Mogadishu, and has not held a one-person, one-vote poll in 50 years” Macau business .
” People in Somaliland are hoping that Monday’s elections will boost the republic’s chances of gaining international recognition as an independent state BBC
” Somaliland held its first parliamentary election for 16 years on Monday, in what politicians there describe as evidence of its comparative stability” Reuters
“The voting also coincides with two historic milestones in Somaliland. It was 20 years ago Monday when Somaliland adopted the constitution that enshrines the multiparty democratic system. Also, this month, Somaliland commemorated 30 years since declaring secession from the rest of Somalia” reported Citizen TV in a piece titled Polls open in Somaliland’s local and parliamentary elections
“Because the international community does not officially recognise Somaliland, the usual regional and international organisations do not observe or monitor its elections. This one is being observed by a team of 28 international observers organised by South Africa’s private Brenthurst Foundation and led by former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma and a team of 12 international observers of the University College of London, led by that university’s Professor Michael Walls and sponsored by the British government.
The main election monitoring, though, will be done themselves, by about 800 Somalilanders in a sophisticated operation organised by the Somaliland Non-State Actors Forum (Sonsaf), an umbrella body of traditional leaders, civil society organisations, religious groups, business and other organisations.” Reported the Daily Maverick Somaliland: The little country that could — if only the world would let it
“Despite holding democratic elections, Somaliland failed to gain international recognition as an independent state. But this did not stop the presence of international observers. There are 103 international election observers who have arrived to witnesses the election proceedings,” reported the VOA
“30 years after declaring independence, Somaliland is still at the margins of the international system despite its considerable successes” African Arguments
“Voters in Somaliland are casting their ballot in parliamentary and local elections on Monday, highlighting progress in the semi-autonomous region of Somalia that over the years has avoided the destructive violence plaguing other parts of the Horn of Africa country” Aljazeera
“As Somaliland holds its sixth one person one vote , Somalia is due to hold indirect polls within 60 days, with clan representatives choosing legislators who in turn will choose a president.News24
