THT: The long running dispute over regional seats allocation in the House of Representatives has reared its ugly head again.
This comes after traditional leaders of the Awdal region sub-clans spoke about their concerns regarding the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives of Somaliland.
Speaking in behalf of the country’s western most Gadabursi clan traditional leaders, Sultan Abdirahman Dhawal, said the AWDAL region clan wants 40`% Share of Seats in Parliament’s House Of Representatives
Currently the House of Representatives is composed by 82 members from six regions thence allocation of the demanded 40`% Share to AWDAL region equals 33 seats.
Sultan Dhawal revealed this demand in Borama town after a meeting between the traditional leaders with the Somaliland Parliament’s Internal Affairs Committee and a team from the Academy for Peace and Development.
Said he “The two teams from the capital Hargeisa were here to hold consultations with us following our clan’s recent declaration to abstain from parliamentary and local councils elections slated for later in the year”
Last week the AWDAL region traditional leaders had convened a Gadabursi Clan convened a General Assembly hosted by supreme clan leader Ugas Abdirashid and attended by 773 delegates.
A post clan convention communique informed of that the increase in the quota of seats allocated to AWDAL region was disproportional thence a unanimous decision to abstain from the polls by all Gadabursi sub clans
“We have made our determination clear to both the House of Representatives’ Internal Affairs Committee, and the Peace Academy.” Said Sultan Abdirahman Dhawal, adding that the clan’s elections non participation decision is final and also includes similar quest at the Guurti.
The Somaliland parliament is two tiered with Guurti, Senate, and the upper chamber whiles the house if representatives being lower chamber, both houses have 82 members each.
.”Whether it is the House of Elders or the House of Representatives, we have informed the public of that decision. We have informed everyone involved, and Gadabursi will be absent until it is corrected,” he said.
While the quest for an increase of seats in the legislature by the west and eastern region’s isn’t new the stance taken by AWDAL will surely derail the forthcoming elections.
This is because the agreement that ended a couple of years acrimonies over the Oft postponements of the polls entered by the three national parties of ruling Kulmiye and opposition UCID and Wadani brushed away the region seats realignment thus utilized the model employed during the one and only Somaliland parliamentary elections of 2005.
The current regional seats allocation at both Guurti and House of representatives which the Gadabursi clan want changed while the political parties want maintained is as follows
- MAROODI-JEEH (Hargeisa) 20 seats
- AWDAL (Borama) 13 seats
- SAHIL (Berbera). 10 seats
- TOGDEER (Burao) 15 seats
- SOOL (Las Anod) 12 seats and
- SANAAG (Erigavo) 12 seats.
As of now it’s a wait and see game.