Somaliland: ISG Situation Paper May 2010

Somaliland  2^nd Democratic  Presidential Election in Sight: 26 June,2010 

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  1. Introduction

In their 29^th of May, 2010 meeting, the ISG members discussed the preparation for the upcoming Presidential election to be held on the 26^th of June, 2010, and the recent process of the Voter List Display and Replacement of cards conducted in all regions and districts of Somaliland. The meeting was sponsored by the Social Research and Development Institute (SORADI). It was moderated by its Director, Dr. Mohamed Fadal. The Somaliland Independent Scholar’s Group (ISG) members are all long-term participants of Somaliland rebuilding and democratization process, who are considered to be highly competent to provide an objective analysis and strategy to address the issues at hand. The ISG members are: Abdi-shakur Sh Ali-Jowhar (Psychiatrist and political analyst: warkamaanta.com), Amina Mohamoud Warsame (Executive Director of NAGAAD); Abdilkadir H Ismail Jirde (Ex-Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament- now travelling), Shukri H. Ismail (Former National Electoral Commissioner and Member of African Democracy Forum and Chair of Candle Light); Ibrahim Jama Ali –Raite (Member of Parliament and Lawyer), Fawsi Sh. Yonis (Somaliland Lawyer’s Association); Abdi Ahmed Nour (Forum for Peace and Governance-FOBAG), Bobe Y. Duale (Research Coordinator, APD), Haroon H Ahmed Qulumbe (ActionAid), Jafar Mohamed Gadaweyne (SONSAF); Mohamed Hassan Ibrahim (Researcher-APD), Suad Ibrahim Abdi (Researcher-APD); Wais Muse (Executive Director of  Samatalis Coalition of Human Rights)), Dr. Mohamed Fadal, Director of (SORADI);Muse Abdi Elmi (U. of Hargeisa; Dean Academic Affairs) Dr. Yusuf Kariye (Researcher in  Anthropology; Hinda Mohamed Jama (an Associate of Burao University); Dr. Aden Abokor(Progressio Country Rep.)..

There is unity of purpose at last for all Somaliland political stakeholders to hold the Presidential election. The President provided the required leadership to have declared that the presidential election is going to be held, signed required laws and urged the citizens to take their new voting cards.  The Somaliland Electoral Commission is in full control of the preparation process and continues to enjoy sustained support and confidence from all key stakeholders. The opposition candidates are conducting their business with care and the two Houses of Parliament have furnished the necessary laws in a fast-track manner. The civil society has never been so fully engaged in partnership with the NEC and other key election stakeholder. That is a remarkable unity of purpose for Somaliland political actors and a maturing democratic culture.

II. Important NEC achievements so far: 
1. NEC set the date of the election in the shortest time possible from the date of the final endorsement of the 6-point Agreement on 25 November, 2009.  Very few people expected the new NEC to be so efficient to set voting date for June, 2010. It is a job well done and it will save us further headache down the road for other due elections.

2. NEC conducted  the Voter List Display and Card Replacement exercise. This process started on the 13^th of May, 2010 to continue for 7 days at 1210 Registration Stations (later Display Stations) in all regions of Somaliland, followed by 10 more days in which the display continued to take place at District Centres to give a chance for those who could not make it during the first 7 days.

3.  NEC staffed all its regional and Districts offices, completed contractual arrangements and forged a fruitful partnership with civil society.

4. NEC has relatively successfully managed the logistics of the display process. This exercise should give NEC a valuable learning opportunity to address the identified shortcomings in good time for the fast approaching Presidential election date. Contractors and regional and district NEC officials need to account for and rectify short-falls reported in different parts of the country.

III. NEC-Civil Society Partnership

NEC has succeeded to establish a meaningful partnership with the civil society. It is working closely with an advisory civil society group comprising of key Umbrellas such NAGAAD, CONSONGO, SONYO and SONSAF and the professional organizations for peace, governance and institution building such APD, FOBAG and SORADI. This advisory civil society group supports NEC primarily on three key areas of activity: the Voter Education, the Dispute Mediation process and the recruitment and deployment of local monitors and observers. NEC, in close coordination with the civil society advisory group, has assigned credible NGOs with requisite experience to different regions of Somaliland to implement Voter Education programmes, while members of the advisory group took the responsibility to monitor these activities. This exercise is to ensure that the Somaliland voters are fully informed of the various stages of election preparations such the display and card replacement exercise as well as about their voting day responsibilities.

Likewise a Dispute Mediation programme has been organized. 600 people selected from all Somaliland regions and districts have been trained to undertake on the spot conflict resolution activities at the display centres. Identifiable with their distinctive dress, which bears the insignia of MEDIATORS, they are active as mobile teams in most display centres. Each team is composed of a cross-section of the society including professional groups, the youth, women and non-titled elders. This is a very successful programme, which demonstrates how fruitful the NEC-Civil Society partnership could be. These 600 Mediators will also be deployed in the voting and tallying days of the Presidential election and shall remain a valuable resource for Somaliland to build on for future elections.

IV. The Voter List Display and Card Replacement Process

The “Server” is a household word in Somaliland, denoting the Voter Registration process. This experience brought out so vividly two contradictory sides of the Somaliland people. The capacity and aptitude to mobilize so fast and so intense for a national cause, especially when clan competition is brought into play, and this is a potent energy, which can be harnessed positively for nation building. It is believed that the Somaliland people including the diaspora spent much more resorces than all international input put together. However, the other side of the coin is the total disregard for the illegal nature of some of the rampant multiple registrations that took place. There is a need here for intense public education to inculcate the culture of the rule of law.

The Display and Card Replacement process was an attempt from side of NEC to overcome the negative effects, which the multiple registration acts could have on the upcoming elections. The process was smooth and peaceful in most of the designated areas except in some areas in Sool and Eastern Sanaag . It started slowly but has gradually picked up momentum during the last days. The later stage at the districts was also brisk in many areas. The summer heat situation of the coastal areas is definitely a concern, but also due to abundant rains and favourable pasture and water situation in the countryside, the nomadic population is widely scattered and is no longer in the traditional concentration areas such water points and rural commercial centres. Both factors may lower the number of registered voters who will claim their replacement cards and therefore the size of the final voter list.  

V. Current key Challenges

The display process was also kind of a dress rehearsal for the upcoming presidential election. It was a serious challenge, which NEC has successfully handled. However, ISG identified several flashpoints distilled from the impressions of its members, who conducted monitoring exercises for the Voter Education and the Mediation programmes, from the Eastern, Western and Central regions of Somaliland.

Security

According to the ISG information on the Sool situation, the display exercise went relatively well in Las Anod and in many other display stations across the region. However the insecurity in Buhoodle and Widhwidh could have repercussions on the elections if not managed responsibly. The ISG would like to point out that, in the aftermath of the disintegration of the state of Somalia, the burden of ensuring peace has fallen primarily on the shoulders of the traditional leaders of each society and therefore, in this situation the onus still lies with them. The Burao peace process in May 1991 should always serve as a shining example of what people can achieve through dialogue and responsible leadership.

The Somaliland government army is in the region. Although its reputation is established as a disciplined and responsible professional army and especially that of its sector commander is said to be exemplary, still their responsibility is not to antagonize the civilian population. In this backdrop, the ISG believes, that there are other Somali regional forces whose aims are served through the cultivation of hatred among communities to be able to easily incite conflict. The army in the area should see their primarily responsibility to uphold security not for the sake of it, but for the benefit of the local population and that will also ensure the security of Somaliland and contribute to that of the region.

Alleged Multiple Card-Holding

The ISG recognizes the possibility of multiple card-holding, which means that the card replacement process was not fool-proof. On the other hand the ISG also recognizes that Somaliland is still in the process of State-building, which is primarily learning by doing process and therefore the Voter Registration and display process should be viewed in that light. We also need to remind ourselves that many of our institutions have started in such shaky grounds including the first presidential elections in Burao in 1991 and Borame in 1993 as well as the selection process of the members of the two Houses of Parliament in 1993 and 1997. Today, these institutions are populated by democratically elected public officials. In the same token, we can improve the Voter Registration process in the future.

Furthermore, the following measures are expected to mitigate the effect of its short-comings: a) each voter’s name is checked from a register and list of names; b) a voting card with picture identification is issued c) A potent ink is applied on the figure of each voter; d) A ban on motorised traffic during the voting day will limit travel from one polling station to another; e) A team of 13 persons are in each polling station, including three political party representatives and 4 NEC staff members 2 Ministry of Interior representatives, 2 local monitors, 2 security guards and are supplemented by other international and local observers all deployed to deter fraudulent acts; f) It is only one-day exercise and voting repetition could be limited by the available  time. All the above put together can be a powerful deterrent against fraud and can ensure a credible voter result.

Transport of Election Material and personnel

The transport of materials and personnel for on-time delivery to remote polling stations is considered to be a challenge, which needs to be addressed by NEC. The available feedback from the display exercise should give an opportunity to improve that process. Contractors who failed to fulfil their contractual terms need to be accountable for that.

NEC Staff Selection and Accountability

From Somaliland election experience and there is already enough of it, the way each polling station is run is key to the success of the election: a) NEC should ensure that its staff are adequately trained and empowered for the job, sensitized well for the magnitude of their responsibility, well aware of applicable sanctions for dereliction of duty and should be provided with adequate logistical and security support. b) The rules are applied strictly uniformly in all polling stations and both individual and team accountability should be uniformly emphasized.

VI. The Election Campaign

The election campaign is a legitimate way of the candidates to present their election platforms and to express their edge against their opponents to sway voters to their favour and to earn their trust to rule.  It is equally a legitimate way for voters to screen and scrutinize their candidates to make up their mind who to vote for from the running three candidates. It is also a way of voters informing themselves of what each candidate stands for and whether that conforms to their vision of a national leader and the candidate addresses their interests and outlooks.

1. To avail themselves of that democratic privilege, the candidates and their parties are expected to uphold the peace and stability within communities and the society in general during the campaign, during the voting day and in the aftermath of the election. To refrain from hate language and any action leading to incite people to violence action; to avoid creating distrust among communities especially among the youth, which could be agitated to violent action. Political parties are expected to take responsibility of the actions of their supporters and to be accountable for breeching the campaign code of conduct.
2. To present party platforms and to a run mature democratic campaign

• Allow people to learn about what the rule of a particular party and leader will mean to them if elected.

• Discuss issues, which matter for the lives of the Somaliland people and move away from stale clan fragmentation approaches. Ultimately, communities of each city such as Hargeisa, whether in the north, west, south or east have same needs: water, security, schools for their children, health facilities etc. And so are all other towns, villages, rural communities etc

1. Address key national Issues:

• The issue of recognition and their strategy to pursue it.
• The issues of upcoming elections: the local government election to be held when in what system of election? The election of the parliament and pending election law; the issue of the House of Elders election/selection.
• The issue of the debate on new political parties and the independent candidates.
• Issues of youth unemployment and migration; Environment; Health, water and HIV-Aids etc

1. A joint debate for the three national candidates organized by a neutral body or media organization:

• It will add value to Somaliland democracy and legitimacy of the election result
• It will show the maturity Somaliland leadership and its own voters
• It will sharpen the focus of the winner to lead the nation and to be clear of what really matters to the populace.

1. Candidates need to openly denounce and warn their supporters of any illegal ways of voting seeking such as: Vote buying, ballot stuffing, and multiple voting.

VIII. Conclusion

Judging from the debate raging in the of Somaliland major population centres, there shall be a high turn-out for the election. The hope to conduct it fairly, freely and peacefully is in everybody’s mind and therefore is both the citizen’s, political parties and their government’s responsibility to ensure it. The authorities will ultimate claim its successes as they rightly do for all past elections and need to be in tune with the people.