Somaliland: ‘UCID Party Rejects Resignation of its Representative in the National Elections Commission’

The opposition UCID party is still represented at the Somaliland National Elections Commission.

This was stated by the party’s chairman Eng. Feisal Ali Warabe through a letter dated 7^th March 2020 and addressed to president Muse Bihi Abdi with copy to Parliament’s House of Representatives and the National Elections Commission-NEC.

The letter below in original Somali language read:

REF: Rejection of UCID Party’s Representative from National Elections Commission

“Your Excellency the President, this is in reference to resignation as NEC Commissioner representing UCID party announcement by Hasan Yusuf Duale made through the media on 3^rd Feb 2020.

Hasan Yusuf Duale our party’s representative at NEC who stated that his resignation from the electoral body was occasioned by then prevalent political differences emanating from disputed parliamentary and local councils elections, failed to inform of grievances leading to the resignation through an official letter  to relevant bodies namely UCID (appointing), Parliament (Approval) and NEC (Member).

To this effect as well as having solved the elections related political differences leading to the resignation, the UCID party hereby officially conforms that it has rejected the exit of its representative at NEC Hasan Yusuf Duale.

Your Excellency the president, we request that you similarly reject the resignation of UCID’s representative from the national Elections Commission thus facilitated his immediate resumption of duties. unquote

The resignation of Hasan Yusuf from NEC was seen as a final nail to the coffin of NEC whose composition has been contested by the Somaliland opposition parties of UCID and Wadani with the4 latter’s nominee never having assumed duties despite being approved by parliament as dictated by the constitution.

To make the electoral body fully legal as per dictates of the Somaliland constitution the seven NEC commissioners should be nominated by various bodies as follows

1. Guurti, the upper chamber of parliament 2 members
2. Presidency 2 members
3. Ruling Kulmiye party 1 member
4. Opposition part UCID 1member and
5. Wadani opposition party 1member

This resignation rejection by UCID comes in the heels of a recent inter-party agreement mediated by the EU special representative to Somaliland and Somalia Nicholas Berlanga at a meeting attended by leaders and senior officials of Kulmiye, UCID and Wadani parties in Hargeisa on the 27^th March 2020.

Presumably the Wadani party which is part and parcel of the inter-party agreement shall similarly let its nominee assume duties at NEC which is now to have a technical unit composed of immediate electoral commissioners as day to day managers of the parliamentary and local Councils elections now slated for any time before end of current year.

To bring the elections impasse to an end the interparty meeting agreed that

1. Parliamentary and local council’s elections be held within 2020
2. The disputed commissioners of the National Elections Commission stay in place and fulfill its constitutional mandate.
3. The opposing parties of UCID and Wadani immediately nominate representatives to the commission following resignation of the same.
4. The immediate past NEC commissioners act as technical committee dubbed Technical Elections Management Unit-TEMU members some with voting powers thence utilize their experience thence facilitate elections in 2020.
5. Three representing the International community to be part of TEMU as non-voting members
6. Head and deputy chiefs of TEMU to be selected from voting member
7. Parliamentary and local council’s elections be held within 2020

While The disputed commissioners of the National Elections Commission stay in place and fulfill its constitutional mandate, and day to day elections management taken over by TEMU which has three members representing the international community with a stake in the Somaliland democratization process it remains to be seen whether parliamentary elections which have not been held for over a decade actually take place.

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Somaliland: Technical Unit to Manage 2020 Parliamentary and Local Council’s Elections -Parties Agree

By: Yusuf M Hassan