The three Somaliland political parties, Kulmiye, Waddani and UCID have been holding extensive talks at the Presidency in Hargeisa.
The talks between the three party leaders, President Muse Bihi Abdi of Kulmiye, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi ” Irro” of Waddani and UCID’s Faisal Ali Warabe, commenced after intervention and mediation conducted by elders and luminaries of the Somaliland Civil Society, to unblock the impasse pertaining to the long overdue parliamentary and local council elections.
The talks have been described as free and frank by insiders and there are hopes that all three parties will reach a consensus on the composition of the National Elections Commission, (NEC), the date for the elections and any other outstanding issues.
The parliamentary and local elections were postponed from 2017, 2018 and 2019, many Somalilanders and the international supporters of Somaliland, have steadily became frustrated with the inability of the national institutions to put aside political differences in order to keep the country on the progressive democratic path.
Senior delegation from the European Union, led by Ambassador Belanger, visited Somaliland on several occasions, including as recently as this month, December, 2019, to facilitate any discussions between the political parties.
All in all, Somaliland’s much heralded democratic credentials will become severely tainted, unless, parliamentary and local council elections are held as early as possible.
Ali Mohamed Abokor
