2012 Somaliland Local Council Election kicks off.

[Somalistan]

Xukuumadda Somaliland Oo Xidhay Dhammaan Xuduudaha Dalka
November 27th, 2012 Comments Off

Hargeysa (Somaliland.Org)- Xukuumadda ayaa shaacisay inay muddo 24 saacadood ah ay xidhay dhammaan xuduudaha Somaliland, sidaasna waxa sheegay Wasiirka Arrimaha gudaha Somaliland Maxamed Nuur Caraalle (Duur).

“Laga Bilaabo 4:00 galabinimo ee maanta illaa 8:00 cawaysnimo ee habeen dambe waxaanu xidhnay dhammaan xuduudaha Somaliland. Lamina ogala in lagu soo galo Gaadiid iyo Lugtoona maadama oo ay doorashadda Goleyaasha deegaanka dalka ka dhacayso,”ayuu intaas raaciyay Wasiirka Daakhiligu.


Wasiir Duur waxa kale oo uu sheegay inay sidoo kale maalinta Arbacadda ee beri ay mamnuuc tahay dhaq-dhaqaaqa Gaadiidka.

“Waxaan leeyahay dadku ha dhawraan sharciga doorashadda, gaadhiga aan siday lambarka Komishanku bixiyay ma socon karo,”ayuu yidhi Wasiirka Daakhiligu.

Wasiirka Daakhiligu waxa kale oo uu ka hadlay shaqaaqo maanta ka dhacday magaaladda Ceerigaabo oo dadweynaha magaaladaasi ka cabanayeen goobaha codbixinta oo ku yar, waxaanu ku dooday in ay ka garaabayaan saluugaasi isla markaana ay rajaynayaan in loo helo goobo dheeraad ah.

Wasiirka Arrimaha Gudaha Somaliland waxa uu u soo jeediyay dadweynaha inay ilaaliyaan nabad-gelyadda oo ay si nabad-gelyo ah codkooda u bixiyaan.

Cumar Maxamed Faarax
Somaliland.Org/Hargeysa
cumarmfaarax@hotmail.com

[Somalistan]

[quote] adaxweyne Siilaanyo Oo Khudbad Dheer Warbaahinta u mariyay Shacbiga
November 27th, 2012 Comments Off

“Aniga iyo Xisbigaygu waxaan balan qaadaynaa in aanu aqbali doono natiijada doorashada”

“Waxaan leeyahay marka la tartamo la kala tagi maayee, is dhawrta oo wanaaga ha ka tegina”

Hargeysa (Somaliland.Org)- Madaxweynaha Somaliland Md. Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Siilaanyo) ayaa shacbiga Somaliland warbaahinta u mariyay khudbad dheer oo uu ugu tallo galay wacyi-gelinta bulshadda ee doorashadda Deegaanka ee Arbacadda beri dalka ka qabsoomaysa.

Madaxweynaha Somaliland waxa uu khudbadiisa si qoto dheer ugaga hadlay gedi-socodka dimuqraadiyadda, natiijadda doorashadda iyo guubaabo la xidhiidha adkaynta nabad-gelyadda dalka. Waxa kale oo uu si adag ula dar-daarmay axsaabta tartamaysa iyo Komishanka doorashooyinka.
Khudbadii Madaxweynuhuna waxay u dhignayd iyadoo dhamaystiran sidan:-

“Bulshada Somaliland dibed iyo gudaba waxaan idinku salaamayaa salaanta Islaamka, “ASSALAAMU CALAYKUM WA RAXMATULAAHI WA BARAKAATU”.
Walaalayaal:
Dadka Somaliland meel kasta oo aad joogtaan waxaan idiin rajaynayaa guul, waxaan idinku amaanayaa dedaalka iyo isku-duubnida, waxaana inoo ballana illaalinta qaranimada iyo wadaniyada.

Mudanayaal iyo marwooyin:

Waxaynu ku jirnaa wakhti doorasho, sidaynu wada ognahayna dal dimuquraadiya ayay caadadiisa tahay inuu dawladnimada heerarkeeda kala duwan kula-kalawareego tartan doorasho oo xor iyo xalaal ah. Anagoo taa ka-duulaynana, waxaanu diyaarinay doorashadii golayaasha deegaanka oo ay ku tartami doonaan 7 Urur iyo 2653 musharax guudahaan wadanka oo dhan. Waxaana la rajaynayaa inay kasoo baxaan 3 xisbi qaran iyo 379 xildhibaan kuwaasoo la wareegi doona maamulka dawladaha hoose ee dalka sida shuruucdeenu dhigayso.
Dawlad-ahaan waxaanu u hawl-galnay sidii arrintani u dhici lahayd, waxaanu furnay ururada siyaasadda iyadoo aanu guddi qaran u saarnay oo dalka oo dhammi wada-tashi ka yeeshay, markii laysku raacayna waxaanu u diyaarinay sharcigii lagu hagi-lahaa iyo komishinkii maamuli lahaa, iyadoo aanu u gudbinay Golayaasha Baarlamaanka, labada golena sharcigii waa dhamaystireen hawl-wadeenadiina way ansixiyeen.

Waxaanu u diyaarinay xafiisyadii iyo kharashaadkii aasaasiga u ahaa Xafiiska, iyadoo aanu gacan-buuxda ka siinay sidii ay shaqadooda u bilaabi-lahaayeen. Komishinkuna waxay shaqadoodii u bilaabeen si madax-banaan cidii danaynaysay in ay fursadaa ka faaiidaystaana waxay isu diwaangeliyeen ururo siyaasadeed, 15-kii Urur ee cusbaa iyo 3 xisbi ee hore. Waxaa maanta tartankii isugu soo hadhay 5 Urur iyo 2 Xisbi.

Waxaanu bixinay kharashkii doorashada $2,000,000 US Dollar ah oo u dhiganta %33 halkii aynu ka Bixin jirnay %25 xiliyadii hore. Waxaa kale oo aanu Ururada/Xisbiyada dhamaan ka bixinay gaadiidkii ay ku qaadan lahaayeen muraaqibiinta oo kharash gaadhaya illaa $150,000 US Dollar ah.
Waxaa hadana soo baxay kharash kale komishinku uga baahdeen culays goobaha kaga soo kordhay $100,000 US Dollar ah. Waxaanu diyaarinay ciidamadii amaanka ee dhamaan goobaha codbixinta, oo gaadhay illaa 6000 oo askari.

Walaalayaal, waa inoo diyaar garoonkii tartanka doorashadu, waxaan rajaynayaa inay si nabadgelyo leh inoogu qabsoonto, Illaahayna waxaan inooga baryayaa inuu inagu garab-galo.
Dhammaan Musharixiinta u tartamaya doorashada Golaha Deegaanka, Xisbiyada/Ururada ku hirdamaya Saaxada Siyaasadda ee u tartamaya sidii ay u noqon lahaayeen Xisbiyo Qaran:
Waxaan leeyahay hambalyo,
Waxaan leeyahay saaxiibtinimo ku tartama,
Waxaan leeyahay anshaxa ilaaliya,
Waxaan leeyahay qaranimada dhawra,
Waxaan leeyahay marka la tartamo la kala tagi maayee, is dhawrta oo wanaaga ha ka tegina.
Walaalayaal, Doorashadani maaha doorashadii ugu horeysay, mana aha doorashadii ugu dambaysay, waa doorashadii 5aad ee gayigeena ka qabsoonta, maalin kasta cid baa badinaysay cidna waa laga badinayey, maantana kama duwana ee Saddex Xisbi Qaran ayaa soo bixi doona oo u gudbi donna Xisbiyo Qaran. 378 Xildhibaan ayaa u soo bixi-doona Golayaasha Deegaanka ee Dalka, waxaan u rajaynayaa qaar khayr qaba, dalkan wanaag iyo horumar gaadhsiiya.

Walaalayaal, yuhunta iyo yiqiinta yaanay idinka xumaan, hadalada xanafta leh iska daaya oo doorashada si xor iyo xalaal u guta.

Nabadgelyada

Wasaaradda Arrimaha Gudaha, Ciidamada kala duwan ee Qaranka, Saxaafada, Xisbiyada/Ururada Bulshada reer Somaliland ee nabada jecel, waxaan leeyahay nabada ha la adkeeyo, nabadgelyada isu kaashada, nabadgelyadu waa raasamaalka Qarankani haysto ee meel halooga soo wada jeesto, qof kastowba xil baa kaa saran nabadgelyada, waa dantiina ee ilaashada.
Somaliland waxay soo martay xilliyo adag oo cadowgeeduna intan ka badnaa. Maanta waxa Jamhuuriyaddu ku taagantahay tiirar adag oo aan la liicin karin, cabsina kama qabto cadow dibadeed oo jiritaankeeda iyo midnimadeeda waxayeelleeya. Waxaynu leenahay shacbi iyo ciidan heegan u ah in ay ka difaacaan cidkasta oo kusoo gardarroota.
Somaliland waxay ku jirtaa meelaha ugu horreeya ee lagu majeerto nabad iyo deggenaansho gobolkan Geeska Afrika.

Habsami-u-socodka Doorashada
Komishanka Doorashooyinka Qaranka, Komishanka Kala-reebista Ururada, Goob-joogayaasha caalamiga ah iyo kuwa maxaliga ah, Ururada Bulshada, Golaha Guurtida, Madax-dhaqameedka iyo culimada; waxaan ugu baaqayaa inay si feejigan isha ugu hayaan habsami-u-socodka doorashada, meelna ugu soo wadajeestaan cidkasta oo carqalad ku-haysa.

Dhamaanteena aan gacan buuxda ku siino Komishanka Xilka loo igmaday, si ay u dhacdo doorasho xor iyo xalaalahi. Aniga iyo xukuumadayduna waxaan diyaar u nahay in aanu isku garab-taagno Komishinka Doorashooyinka iyo Komishinka Diiwaangelinta gudashada xilkooda, si ay dhamaystiranto dimuqraadiyada Somaliland ka-hanaqaaday, Bulshaduna u gaadho himiladeeda.

Natiijada Doorashadda

Aniga iyo Xisbigaygu waxaan balan qaadaynaa in aanu aqbali doono natiijada doorashada. Xisbiyada/Ururada waxaan ugu baaqayaa in ay aqbalaan wixii ka soo baxa, sharcigana u hogaansamaan una hambalyeeyaan ciddii ku guulaysata. Dalkan mas’uuliyadiisa, Sharciyadiisa, nabadgelyadiisa anigaa xilkiisu isaaran-yahay, mana aqbali doono cidii sharciga ku xad-gudubta, cidii nabadgelyada dhaawacda, cidii jiritaanka iyo masiirka ummadan ka hortimaada.
Bulshada reer Somaliland waxaan leeyahay codkiina si xor iyo xalaal ah u dhiibta, cidii aad u garataana siiya.

Bulshada reer Somaliland waxaan leeyahay isku duubnaada oo ilaashada nabadgelyada.

Bulshada reer Somaliland waxaan leeyahay ilaashada Qaranimada, gacanna ka siiya Hay’adaha amaanka gudashada xilkooda.”

Cumar Maxamed Faarax
Somaliland.Org/Hargeysa
cumarmfaarax@hotmail.com

[/quote]

[Somalistan]

Somaliland Pre-Election Watch: November 2012 Local Council Elections

On November 28, Somalilanders will go to the polls to elect their local municipal council representatives. These are the first local elections to take place in 10 years and are of critical national importance. Three of the seven political parties and associations competing for seats will become Somaliland’s only legally recognized political parties, becoming the only political organizations permitted to compete in elections for the next 10 years. The November poll will feature an open-list voting system and will be the fifth direct vote to take place across Somaliland since 2002.

Somaliland’s political process has traditionally been dominated by three political parties, the UCID, KULMIYE and UDUB. In 2011, the new administration of President Ahmed Silanyo of the KULMIYE enacted election laws geared towards opening Somaliland’s political system. The laws allow new political associations to be formed to challenge the three traditional parties in local council elections and therefore compete to be one of the three approved parties going forward. Somaliland’s limit of three official political parties is meant to ensure that parties represent large portions of the population, rather than having a proliferation of smaller parties that are clan or regionally-based.

After the change in electoral laws, 15 political associations applied to compete in local council elections but nine were disqualified by the Registration of Political Associations and Approval of Political Parties Committee (RAC) for failing to meet necessary legal requirements. RAC’s disqualification of the nine associations was criticized by the groups as being non-transparent. In explaining their decision, RAC stated that each of the disqualified groups failed to open offices in all regions of Somaliland and failed to provide evidence that they had at least 1,000 members in each region.

Of the six associations permitted to field candidates, one new association, NASIYE, withdrew prior to submitting a candidate list. UDUB, Somaliland’s former ruling party, also withdrew in protest, citing bias and lack of transparency on the part of Somaliland’s electoral bodies. As a result, local council elections will be contested by the existing UCID and KULMIYE parties and five new political associations: UMADDA, DALSAN, RAYS, WADANI and XAQSOOR.


Political Environment

A former British protectorate, Somaliland is a break-away territory that declared independence from Somalia in 1991. It has functioning political and economic systems and has maintained relative stability and growth despite the clan segmentation of its population and the insecurity of neighboring Somalia proper. While Somaliland has thus far successfully maintained a political system that reflects a unique blend of modern democratic principles and the preservation of traditional values, the upcoming local elections have created tensions in the political environment.

Some of the political associations disqualified from participating in elections by RAC rejected the ruling and filed suit against the committee, accusing the body of being politically biased and taking action in favor of the ruling KULMIYE party. The case was brought before the Somaliland Supreme Court and in early September the court ruled in favor of RAC, saying its rulings were just and impartial. The UDUB party has also been vocal in accusing electoral bodies of acting in a partisan manner and blocking its participation in the electoral process. These allegations came as a result of RAC rejecting the nomination of Ali Mohamed Waran’ade and Ahmed Haji Dahir to UDUB party leadership, stating that the nominations of both leaders did not originate within the party’s general assembly and therefore contradicted the party’s internal rules. UDUB also cited partisanship as the reason the National Electoral Commission (NEC) denied UDUB’s request to extend the deadline for the submittal of party candidate lists.

Finally, concerns have been expressed about potential media bias and traditional elders from Toghdeer region have insisted that the distribution of polling stations unfairly discriminates against their communities, allowing them less of an opportunity to vote than other regions.


Electoral Processes and Challenges

The seven parties and associations competing in local council elections have prepared to take part in the polling process and are now campaigning throughout Somaliland. Under the system established by the NEC, campaigning takes place for four weeks, from October 29 until November 25, with each party designated one day a week on which to campaign and hold political rallies.

Even though the law stipulates that voting is direct and secret and that all votes shall be given equal weighting, Somaliland’s local council elections face certain challenges. The elections will be conducted without a voter’s roll. Somaliland’s only existing voters roll was created in 2008 and is considered problematic and out of date. As a result, it was decided that the 2012 local elections would proceed without the use of a voter’s roll, a decision which increases the possibility of under-age, non-resident and double voting, particularly in a country in which the majority of voters have no form of legal identification.

Another challenge facing local elections is the institution of an open-list system in which voters vote for an individual candidate rather than for a party, as was previously the case. This has resulted in long ballot papers in which scores of candidates are listed by name and number. Traditionally, candidates have also been identified by a symbol, an important consideration given the largely illiterate population. Long ballot papers that do not include symbols increase the risk of voter confusion, long lines at polling stations and poll worker fatigue.

Further, given that these elections will select national parties, NEC has determined that even in cases where a vote for a candidate is void, a ballot can be counted in favor of a particular party if the voter’s intent to vote for a certain party is clear, such as in cases where an individual votes for two or more candidates from the same party/association. This opens the door to different interpretations as to which ballots are valid.

Finally, after votes are counted and tabulated by NEC, RAC will be under close scrutiny as it determines which of the seven competing political organizations will qualify as Somaliland’s next three political parties. The Political Party Law stipulates that the three most popular parties that garner a minimum of 20 percent of the vote in each of the six regions will become Somaliland’s next national parties. As this requirement is unlikely to be met by three groups, RAC and the competing political organizations have agreed to a ranking system in which the proportion of votes parties receive in each of the regions will be used to determine which organization becomes one of Somaliland’s three official parties. This may result, however, in a party or association becoming a national party even though it has fewer net votes than one or more of its competitors. Given the complexity of the ranking system, it is of utmost importance that RAC communicates the national party results swiftly, transparently and with stakeholder support so that results are understood and accepted by Somalilanders.

Although there are challenges, these elections do present important opportunities for the maturation of Somaliland’s democracy. Somalilanders have been enthusiastic about opening the election to political associations, a fact which suggests citizens are ready for choices beyond the three traditional parties. At the local level, this is the first opportunity for Somalilanders to directly elect their local councilors, a positive development that coincides with the Somaliland government’s initiative to decentralize its government.

Additionally, these elections will feature greater youth participation numbers than past elections. With the reduction of the age of candidacy for local councilors from 35 to 25, hundreds of young people are competing for political office in a country in which the youth majority is frequently marginalized.


IRI in Somaliland

The International Republican Institute (IRI) has been working in Somaliland since 2002. Its programming focuses on building the capacity of civil society organizations and providing support to parliamentarians to enact legislation that meets constituent needs.

As part of its pre-election program, IRI conducted campaign schools for youth and women candidates to strengthen their voter outreach and general campaign skills. Additionally, the Institute partnered with local groups to train more than 9,000 party agents on how to effectively monitor the upcoming local elections. Finally, IRI trained political parties and political associations in Somaliland on grassroots campaigning, the establishment of issue-based platforms and the basics of internal party organization.

IRI continues to remain engaged in Somaliland’s political process as a part of the organization’s long-standing commitment to advancing freedom, self-government and the rule of law in Africa and around the world.