Somaliland: Electoral Commission Resigns
Four members of the Electoral Commission, including the chairman, resigned a day after two other members also resigned bringing the total that resigned to 6 out of the 7 members of the commission. Their refusal to resign, as demanded by the opposition parties and the Donor countries that assist Somaliland’s democratisation process, has been a stumbling block to free and fair election in Somaliland.
Mr. Jama Mohamed Omar, who chaired the commission since February, strongly opposed calls for his resignation by the opposition parties. The opposition parties believe Omar made several decisions that compromised the neutrality of the commission. His decision to support of the suspension of the voter list and the expulsion of Interpeace, the agency that assisted Somaliland on democratisation, was considered one of the most contentious actions taken by the commission since its formation.
In their demand for the resignation of the commission members, the opposition cited lack of consultation before the body made important decisions that seriously impacted the need for a timely restoration of democracy in Somaliland.
Pressure is mounting on the only remaining commission member, Mr. Ali Mohamed Abdalla (Biikalo) who is also the deputy chairman, to tender his resignation. Abdalla was appointed by KULMIYE opposition party and has been a member of the commission since May last year. He lost the confidence of the opposition parties after he supported Riyale’s decision to suspend the voter list and expel Interpeace.
Mr. Jama M. Omar’s maintained a steadfast refusal to resign hoping that some compromise will be reached between the political parties that will alllow him to stay in the commission, however yesterday’s resignation of two moderate commission members, Ismail Mussa Nur and Khadar Mohamed Guled, made his position untenable.
The appointment of the 7 member commission is considered to be a major factor in the failure by the commission to achieve its goals. Three of the commission members are appointed by the president. Two of the remaining 4 are appointed the by Upper House of Parliament (Guurti) while the two opposition parties each appoint one member. Critics blame lack of independence and transparency in the process of appointing commission members, 5 of which are appointed by the president and the Guurti. The opposition had criticised the president and the Guurti for selecting those five members only on the basis of their loyalty to the ruling UDUB party.
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