Somaliland votes a new president
TSomaliland's Presidential elections were conducted peacefully and the results were announced last night [1st July] in Hargeisa by the Electoral Commission. The elections were peaceful, and successful. The people of Somaliland conducted an effective election by any standard. The results announced by the Electoral Commission have indicated that Kulmiye party secured 266,906 votes, UDUB 187,881 and UCID 92,459. A smooth transition is expected since the parties are showing readiness to accept the results.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia issued a statement congratulating the People of Somaliland. The statement indicated that the people of Somaliland have once again demonstrated their sense of responsibility and commitment to maintaining the peace and stability of the country as well as its on-going democratization. It also added that the Somaliland political parties had remained true to this high standard of citizenship demonstrated by their people. The statement further emphasized that it did not matter who had prevailed in the election. “The winners are the people of Somaliland and they need to be congratulated,” added the statement.
Furthermore, the Ministry encouraged all concerned to respect the provisional results announced by the Electoral Commission. “If there are complaints, the proper legal procedures need to be followed,” the statement added. Full compliance to the rule of law is critical for Somaliland, for its peace and stability and for the success of its democratization. It assured the people of Somaliland that they can always count on the full support of the Government and People of Ethiopia as they continue to preserve their peace and stability and ensure the democratic process is protected. The statement also conveyed the Government of Ethiopia’s tribute to the leaders of all political parties of Somaliland, “and in particular to President Dahir Rayale Kahin for his high sense of obligation to the people of Somaliland, their peace and democratization as well as to the leader of the winning party, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, for his magnanimity and for his commitment to building on what has been achieved in Somaliland over the years.”