December, 7-8th 2016. Preamble:The conference to review the Somaliland electoral process took place at the Ambassador Hotel, Hargeisa from the 7th to the 8th of December 2016, attended by Political parties, Members of the Parliament, Donors, Civil society organizations, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Universities and Intellectuals.
The implementation of genuine and periodic elections was a constitutional duty since the adoption of Somaliland Constitution on 31st May 2001.The Incumbent government is responsible for the deliberation of political faith for the implementation of free, fair and periodic elections in accordance with the Constitution and election legislations.
SONSAF found that the elections of House of Representatives in Art 42(1), Elders in Art 58(2, presidential in Art 88(1) and districts councils in Art 111(7) are not taking place in accordance of the term of office stipulated by the Somaliland Constitution and in Art 4 of Law No. 20/2001 and in Art 8 of Law No. 20-2/2005 of the Somaliland elections laws.
The excessive practices of elections postponements were found incompatible to the present situation of democratization in Somaliland. Delayed elections pose a serious threat and discredit Somaliland’s democratization process in the eyes of the international community.
The Somaliland Non State Actors Forum (SONSAF) has initiated the creation of a platform that provided an opportunity to review performance of periodic elections by all stakeholders and with the support of the European Union.
The objective of the review conference was to explore and examine the root causes and consequences of elections postponements and search remedies for identified setbacks and constrains experienced in Somaliland’s elections over the past two decades.
The conference welcomed the successful operations over the voter registration exercise in the first phase and commended NEC to sustain and implement such operations of the voter cards production and distribution.
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