The Republic of Somaliland is witnessing rapid developments with the formation of the new government by His Excellency the new President of the Republic, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro, through a presidential decree. The new government includes 28 ministers, three state ministers, and 17 deputy ministers, in a move to fulfill electoral promises and the strategic plan of the ruling National Party, which took power after a presidential election characterized by transparency, where the opposition won by a two-thirds majority over the ruling party.
This step reflects the democratic climate enjoyed by the republic, which has not received international recognition despite its success in the peaceful transfer of power to six presidents who have ruled the republic since its declaration of secession from the Federal Republic of Somalia in May 1991.
Four of these presidents were directly elected by the people in free elections, and none of them managed to serve a second term. The current government faces multiple political, economic, and social challenges that it seeks to overcome to preserve national interests in a complex reality, raising questions about the new government’s ability to tackle these major challenges facing the country. Emerging democratic systems require the formation of a government characterized by the following dimensions:
- Technocratic competence.
- 2- Popular acceptance.
- 3- Balanced community representation.
And this is done in a way that maintains social balance in the allocation of political positions among community components, especially with the presence of tribalism, which has a clear impact on the satisfaction of the community and its various segments. In general, the signs of balance and societal acceptance are largely evident in the new cabinet, in which His Excellency the President has succeeded in meeting the three dimensions of efficiency, popular acceptance, and balanced representation.
In general, there will be internal files such as restoring national unity and reducing tension and conflict in the region of Sool eastern regions of Somaliland to reach solutions that satisfy the parties while avoiding further bloodshed of the people of this blessed country. In addition to the internal economic file, which will require tremendous efforts to overcome the current economic problems of inflation and high unemployment rates.
In the external file, the president will have to find the right balance to reconcile the interests of Somaliland without provoking disputes with neighboring countries regarding the memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia, which has caused a clear political crisis recently. This is to ensure the maximum benefit and advantage for Somaliland from strengthening economic and diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, the UAE, and other countries, while also gaining the concerned parties to reduce tension in the region. I believe this is a diplomatic matter that will not be difficult for the president given his astuteness and extensive diplomatic experience.
By: Dr. Abdulaziz Khalaf-Horn of Africa Newspaper-Senior lecturer at University of Hargeisa