“The upcoming elections will be held on time, and we are preparing their plans,” said the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Somaliland.
Hargeisa—The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Muse Hassan Yusuf, stated that they held a meeting with the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro). During the meeting, they discussed the country’s upcoming elections in 2026. He noted that the President has committed to ensuring the elections take place on schedule and has directed the preparation of their plans. He said:
“We met with the President, and he assured us that the elections will be held on time. We are now preparing the plans, starting with voter registration and determining the process, the timeline, and addressing the challenges we observed during the previous voter registration. We are actively working on how to improve these plans.”
On the other hand, the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Muse Hassan Yusuf, highlighted that the previous elections held in the country were largely funded by the national budget, covering 70% of the costs, while donors contributed the remaining portion.
Chairman Muse, speaking on these matters, said, “In the last elections we conducted, 70% of the costs were covered by the national budget, and the rest was provided by donors. Donors support us in two main ways when elections approach: first, ensuring that the elections are held on time, as delays create distrust and raise questions about whether the elections will happen or be postponed.”
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Somaliland Electoral Commission emphasized that they are working on preparing plans for the local and parliamentary elections scheduled for May 31, 2026. He mentioned that they have traveled to Kenya to meet with donors and stated:
“Since the responsibility for conducting the elections lies primarily with the President of the country, as it is a constitutional mandate, and he has assured us that they will be held on time, we are informing everyone that we have begun preparations for the elections to be held on schedule. We have the plans and budget in hand, and for this purpose, we traveled to Nairobi. We met with countries that supported us in previous elections and those interested in assisting us now, such as the U.S. Embassy, the EU Embassy, the Swedish Embassy, and the UK’s FCDO. We discussed with all of them and shared the challenges we face, such as voter registration, and how they can support us in preparing for the elections so we can work together.”
He added, “We also met with the Electoral Commission of Kenya, as we aim to enhance and improve the voter registration process. The current method of voter registration, which involves a one-time biometric system, is costly for the country.”
