Somaliland municipal elections has started nationwide on early hours of Wednesday for the second time since democracy was restored in 2002.

More than 1,700 polling centres will be open for more than a million eligible voters by the end of the day. Seen by many as a crucial test of democracy troubled region, it will take place in 21 districts in six regions across the Horn of Africa nation. The race for dominance is also between two political parties and five newly-formed political associations.
All seven will need to ensure their organisation finishes at the top three in order to qualify for the next presidential and parliamentary elections. Under Somaliland constitution, only the three with the most vote become official political parties for the next decade. After ten years, the process starts all over again giving newcomers the opportunity to have their voice heard in Somaliland’s unique democratic arena.arena.

President Silanyo and his cabinet cast their votes in Somaliland’s historical municipal elections

Here in the capital voting started around 7 a.m. in most of the 404 polling stations including Ga’an Libah, where President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo cast his vote. He was joined by first lady Amina Sheikh Mohamed Jirde and members of his cabinet including minister of presidency, interior, minister of finance and members of the ruling Kulmiye Party.

The president expressed a sense of opportunism and congratulated the people of Somaliland for their commitment to democracy and stability.

He urged everyone to vote peacefully and respect the electoral officials, volunteers, observers and the outcome of the result.

An international observation team of 56 from 15 countries is on the ground monitoring the elections. They see this as a crucial step in the democratization of the whole Horn of Africa region. Two teams from Puntland and Mogadishu are also there to observe and discover their neighbour’s voting system.

The polls close 6 p.m. and results might not be known until the weekend.

This is the 6th time Somaliland has held a peaceful elections since 2002 when it established multiparty system. It is the only country in the greater Horn of Africa to hold that many and foreign observers described the 2005 parliamentary vote as: “The freest and most transparent democratic exercises ever staged in the Horn of Africa.”

Somaliland declared the restoration of its sovereignty in 1991 following a bloody war with neighbouring Somalia that left more than 50,000 Somalis dead in Somaliland.

Somalilandpress