Somaliland: Government reiterates its commitment to political parties’ dialogue

His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland, Abdirahman Abdullahi Zeyli’i, and the three top-most leaders of the Ruling Party – Kulmiye – along with the Minister of Interior held a joint conference the VP led to clarify their position on the Understanding the three national political parties of Kulmiye, UCID and Waddani reached on the presidential, parliamentary extensions proposed.

The Vice President read out to the Press, a three-point sum up of their stand on the agreement and the extension of the terms in office of the President and the parliament.

1. The Government and its party – Kulmiye – fully support the understanding jointly reached by the government and the three national parties and, as such, view the contention that the government and Kulmiye reneged on the agreement as baseless as it is pointless.
2. As we have all put our signatures to, the decision previously reached by the Guurti -Elders’ Chamber – is valid and constitutional.
3. The government and the ruling party, together, are presently exploring ways to bring the two proposals together without denigrating in any way the  potency of the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland.

The political understanding we reached was purely ‘political’, the VP said, in order to allay the consternation of international partners on the democratization process “but to merge it with the constitutional process is a must we have to, together, attend to” he said.

Responding to a question the media raised, the Chairman of the Ruling party – Musa Behi Abdi – pointed out neither the President nor Kulmiye had ever requested for an extension of term. “To the contrary,” he said “we left no stone unturned to conduct the election on specified time – and that needs no further proof”.

Musa Behi pointed out that the delay was due to force majeure circumstances that had the least to do with the government or its party.

“before the last agreement we the political parties reached,” Mr. Behi continued to say “there was another. When we took it up to the Guurti to concur it Waddani and its leader reneged, and the Guurti blamed us for bringing to their attention an agreement that all parties did not sanction. That is when the Guurti took over the reins to decide on the term of extension as is their constitutional right on issues of this nature”.