The process of Selct-electing Somaliland representatives to the to the Somalia house of the people and upper has finally commenced in Mogadishu..
Though somaliland is a sovereign country having withdrawn from its voluntary union with Somalia 25 years ago it has been allocated 46 seats in the House of the People and 11 seats in the Upper House
According to a report posted by AMISOM Six candidates allegedly representing Somaliland were elected to the House of the People as electoral process for northern regions commenced on the 6th December 2016
Quote- Four males and two female candidates were elected on the first day of voting. Those elected are Deputy Prime Minister, Mohamed Omar Arte; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdirahman Du’ale Bayle; and former Member of Parliament, Asha Mohamud Omar. Others are Mohamed Ibrahim Abdi, a Somali Police official; Yurub Ahmed Raabi and Ahmed Dhimbil Rooble.
The electoral process was overseen by the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) Chairman, Omar Mohamed Abdulle, who was optimistic that the electoral process will be completed soon.
“The electoral process will be completed. We will register and issue certificates to the MPs who have been cleared by IEDRM (Independent Electoral Dispute Resolution Mechanism),” said Mr. Abdulle.
He said FIEIT will hand over responsibility to parliament once the electoral process is completed.
“FIEIT will only be a spectator in the voting of speaker and president. We are hoping to complete the electoral process before the end of December 2016,” the chairman added.
Mr. Arte thanked the delegates for re-electing him, saying he was ready to work for all people in Somalia.
“Our appreciation goes firstly to God, and then to electoral commissions and the security agencies. There were suggestions for other venues but we are proud to hold ours here. This is Somali owned process and holding our voting in Mogadishu depicts a sense of ownership,” Mr. Arte added.
Ms. Raabi was also re-elected after winning an all-female contest, becoming the first female MP-elect for Somaliland.
“I appreciate the confidence you have in me and the way you voted for me. I pray that by the will of God, you will get the reward, for the honour and the trust you bestowed on me and I promise to reciprocate by dealing with all critical issues,” she noted.
Nimo Ahmed, one of the delegates, also expressed confidence in the electoral process, adding that she had voted for her preferred candidate.
“We are very pleased with today’s voting. We voted for Yurub Ahmed Raabi because of her personality and her recognition for the people who vote for her,” Ms. Nimo observed.
AMISOM Superintendent of Police, Marion Kutusu, said security had been beefed up to enable the voting process proceed peacefully.
“We are working hand in hand with the Somali Police Force and the Rapid Response Team to ensure that there is adequate security and no intimidation of the candidates,” Ms. Kutusu said.
Somali Police Force Inspector, Rahma Salat Mohamed, also expressed confidence that the electoral process will proceed peacefully in Mogadishu.
“We are responsible for the security of the polling site and we are working in partnership with AMISOM Police. There are no incidents so far and we are very pleased,” Ms. Mohamed noted.Unquote
The ongoing select election in Somalia has all the regions of the war torn country undertake the process of filling their allocated seats quotas at the respective regional capitals thence surprising to see the alleged election of somaliland representatives being exercise in Mogadishu the capital of Somalia rather than Hargeisa the capital Somaliland
