Western diplomats urge Somaliland leaders to accept election results

Western diplomats person urged Somaliland's 3 statesmanlike candidates and their supporters to judge the predetermination results, expected successful the coming days, arsenic ballot counting continues. The diplomats said they person visited 30 polling stations successful antithetic cities successful Somaliland to "reaffirm their enactment for the antiauthoritarian process."

The overseas diplomats from 9 European countries and the United States, who were successful Somaliland connected Wednesday to witnesser the elections, said they commend Somaliland's National Electoral Commission for conducting a "transparent elector registration and campaigner information process."

In a connection work by the U.K. ambassador to Somalia, Mike Nithavrianakis, the diplomats said they basal acceptable to enactment alongside Somaliland to further fortify ideology and accountability successful the future.

Meanwhile, planetary observers successful Somaliland said the elections were peaceful, though successful immoderate parts the polling stations did not unfastened "due to conflict."

Tim Cole, a erstwhile British diplomat, is the main perceiver of the International Election Observation Mission Somaliland. He is starring a squad of 28 planetary observers invited by the Somaliland predetermination committee.

Cole said the observers visited 146 polling stations and saw "some administrative issues" and said successful immoderate places "procedures weren't followed." However, helium said the squad observed that successful general, radical wanted to enactment successful the election, determination was enthusiasm for voting and the elections were peaceful.

"In immoderate parts of Somaliland ... the polling stations didn't unfastened due to the fact that of conflict. So that's 1 contented that immoderate voters faced," helium told VOA's Horn of Africa Service.

"There were agelong queues, which tin beryllium seen arsenic a bully thing, but it besides means radical are lasting astir for a agelong time. But, yeah, the main challenges were really, I would say, determination were immoderate procedural issues. As I said, immoderate of the polling stations, for example, didn't unfastened arsenic aboriginal arsenic they should person done. They were owed to unfastened astatine 7 o'clock and they opened later. That was besides existent successful the capital, Hargeisa."

The perceiver said the tallying starts erstwhile the ballot boxes are brought from each six regions of Somaliland. He said the results volition instrumentality days to beryllium released.

"It volition beryllium sometime adjacent week earlier we cognize the last results," helium said. "So, I'm not definite precisely which time that could be, due to the fact that each of those things tin instrumentality clip oregon could beryllium done precise rapidly depending connected logistics, cars breaking down, each those sorts of things. That tin hap successful immoderate country. So, it volition beryllium a fewer days yet earlier we get the last result."

The Brenthurst Foundation, a Johannesburg-based deliberation vessel that sent observers to Somaliland, said nary superior incidents threatened the integrity of the predetermination connected voting day.

"In our opinion, this predetermination was free, just and credible contempt the constraints of Somaliland's fiscal and organization means," it said successful a study published Friday.

More than 1.2 cardinal radical registered to ballot successful the election, the 4th successful Somaliland since 2003. The portion seceded from the remainder of Somalia successful 1991 but gained nary planetary recognition. Somalia inactive considers Somaliland arsenic portion of its territory.

Guleid Ahmed Jama is simply a salient Somaliland quality rights lawyer and analyst. He says the economy, planetary recognition, overseas affairs, and bid and information were the main issues the candidates person been campaigning on.

"The system of Somaliland is successful a precise mediocre position. Somaliland is simply a mediocre country; it's 1 of the poorest places successful the world. It doesn't nutrient oregon manufacture anything. Most of the things, astir of the goods utilized successful Somaliland are imported from the outside," helium said.

"Somaliland export is lone livestock and besides gets immoderate wealth from remittance and by the diaspora community. So, its system is precise poor. That is an contented successful Somaliland, peculiarly to the youth," Jama said.

Recognition is different cardinal contented successful Somaliland. The existent president, Muse Bihi Abdi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ethiopia successful January, agreeing to lease 20 kilometers of seafront to the landlocked state successful instrumentality for recognition.

Jama said if the incumbent wins, helium volition instrumentality the MOU. He said the absorption has welcomed the agreement, but with reservations.

"The governmental leaders, peculiarly 2 main contenders, are each connected the aforesaid leafage to person immoderate benignant of statement with Ethiopia successful narration to entree to [the] sea. But the opposition's presumption is that they volition similar to spot the memorandum of knowing — what is written — due to the fact that they haven't seen it. It is not a nationalist document, and they accidental the radical volition beryllium consulted and the process volition beryllium transparent," helium said.

"But the ruling enactment campaigner evidently says if helium gets elected, helium volition person it to a legally binding agreement. So, it depends connected who wins successful this election, whether they volition proceed with the memorandum of knowing oregon not."

Somalia condemns the MOU arsenic amerciable and an infringement of its sovereignty and territorial unity, portion Ethiopia and Somaliland support it.

Without commenting connected the MOU, Ethiopia praised Somaliland's predetermination and congratulated the radical of Somaliland "on the behaviour of [voters for the] peaceful and antiauthoritarian election."

In a connection issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia commended Somaliland's National Electoral Commission for conducting a "free and just election."

"This process reflects the maturity of Somaliland's governance and antiauthoritarian system," the connection concluded.