THT: The campaign for the Somaliland parliamentary and local Councils elections has officially started.
Despite the many obstacles occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic the Eastern and western regions hosted campaign rallies for UCID party candidates vying for election as Members of parliament or councillors.
Though Somaliland has three political entities , as per norms , parties have alternate nationwide campaign days , thus today’s UCID only trumpets.
According to the 2021 elections campaign schedule released by the National Elections Commission -NEC each party is allocated two alternate, of the six days campaign period ending a day prior to ballots on the 30th May.
UCID is challenging ruling Kulmiye and fellow opposition Wadani party in the three horse joint parliamentary and local governments control.
The parties have each sponsored 82 and 249 candidates for election as Members of Parliament and Councillors respectively
Elections are to take place in 1642 polling stations where the over 1,200,000 registered voters are expected to elect legislator and councillor of choice.
The Justice and Welfare party perceived to pursue progressive policies has sponsored the highest, 10, female candidates in the Somaliland Elections 2021.
Out of the 246 candidates vying for 82 parliamentary seats only 13 are women while only 14 seeking local councils’ seats of 747 aspirants to the 249 seats nationwide.
2021 campaign rally in Burao town
NEC which had warned political parties and candidates against acts contrary to election and other laws of the country had the same amplified by the electoral body’s Ethics and Complaints and conflict resolution committee.
In a statement issued in Hargeisa the committee said that Wadani, Kulmiye and UCID must adhere to the political parties election code of conduct of which they are signatories.
UCID which had exclusive campaign rights to all the six and 23 electoral regions and districts saw vote soliciting take place only in the eastern and western regions of Somaliland.
According to plan the opposition party is to campaign in the remaining regions on the second and last day as per the schedule.
In a statement UCID said that the party’s stand on the on and oft international sanctioned talks between Somaliland and Somalia is main focus.
Urging end to the fruitless talks UCID justified this position by stating that
“There isn’t a territorial dispute between Somaliland and Somalia at the moment” passing that neither of the two countries are occupying any area under the jurisdictional authority of the other.
The UCID party statement also address a number of local issues, most poignant the three decades elusive International recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign nation.
