Puntland, which is a semi-autonomous state in Somalia, conducted significant local elections on Thursday, although voting had to be suspended in certain areas due to security incidents. These elections mark the first instance of one-person, one-vote elections in Somalia in over 50 years, excluding the breakaway region of Somaliland. Somalia has been grappling with decades of conflict, an Islamist insurgency, and natural disasters, including a severe drought that pushed the nation to the brink of famine.
The international partners of Somalia have commended the district council elections in Puntland as a “historic” event. They believe that Puntland’s experience with direct elections has the potential to serve as a model for the expansion of democracy throughout the country at all levels of government.
However, polling had to be postponed in three out of Puntland’s 33 districts, including the state capital Garowe, due to security incidents that were not specified in the statement by the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission. The commission emphasized the importance of ensuring safety and resolving differences through dialogue and announced that new voting dates for the affected districts would be announced soon.
According to an analysis by the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, the transition to the new electoral system in Puntland has been challenging and faced various obstacles. Puntland, located in northeastern Somalia, declared autonomy in 1998, and its relationship with the central government in Mogadishu has often been tense.
The Puntland local elections precede a regional parliamentary poll scheduled for January 2024. Seven parties are participating in Thursday’s elections, but some opposition politicians have raised concerns about the process and accused State President Said Abdullahi Deni of manipulating the election procedure. The opposition has also cautioned against potential attempts by Deni to amend Puntland’s constitution in order to extend his own mandate.
Over 387,000 voters have been registered for the Puntland elections, and they will choose from 3,775 candidates, with women comprising 28 percent of the total, according to the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission.
