The Indian Ocean News Letter) -First Lady Amina Mohamed Jirde asked her nephew, Mohamed Farah, the head of Somaliland
Academy for Peace and Development, to explain to the leaders of Somaliland’s political parties that it would be a good idea to
delay the elections.
The elections had been initially scheduled for June 2015, but the plan is to put them back to March 2017. Following the award
in questionable circumstances of the contract to develop the management of Berbera Port, the main opposition party Wadani
was in a stronger position. The Somaliland government signed this contract with the Emirates firm DP World (DPW) on 9 May.
The First Lady and her son-inlaw, Bashe Awil Omar, are aware that Wadani has therefore gained strength and want to avoid a
collapse of electoral support for the ruling Kulmiye party’s candidate Musa Bihi Abdi. Another reason they are trying to stay
in power as long as possible is to better preserve their interests related to the contract with the Emirates.
Source: The Indian Ocean News Letter