The NEC To Announce Final Official Presidential Election Results This Morning
Hargeisa (SL Times): KULMIYE party presidential candidate Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud, better known as Sillanyo, is poised to emerge as the winner of last Monday’s poll. Somaliland’s National Electoral Commission finalized the counting and verification of the votes by Friday with preliminary results indicating Mr. Sillanyo leading by a very slim majority against his main opponent, Dahir Rayale Kahin, Somaliland’s incumbent president and UDUB party’s presidential candidate.
About one million people were expected to have voted on Monday in Somaliland’s first multi-party election. Despite huge logistical and financial constraints faced by the NEC before and during the election, the polling has been successfully conducted, local observers said.
An interim report by a South African team monitoring the election has described it as peaceful, orderly and transparent. Over 32 international observers from 14 countries and the EU were present in the country when the voting took place. Birgitte Ohlson a Swedish MP from the liberal party who led the Swedish observers team has shown satisfaction with the way the voting process has been conducted. "I think it was a good election though there were minor problems," the Swedish Parliamentarian said.
Comparing Monday’s polling to previous electoral experiences elsewhere in Africa, Mrs. Ohlosson pointed out that she has noticed a considerable difference. Recalling elections held in the region as mostly unfair and not transparent, she said the Somaliland polls were conducted in a manner closer to international standards.
Ohlosson concluded by saying she was delighted to see large numbers of Somaliland women taking part in the voting.
A Canadian Member of Parliament among the observers has also praised how Somaliland has held its first presidential election. "It was peaceful, free and fair," he said.
The Canadian MP however warned that since the international community was watching, Somalilanders should avoid harming the credibility of the voting.
"If one incident or dispute over the results happens, then you will wash away the good work you have done," he said.
Meanwhile, Faysal Ali Warabe, UCID party's presidential candidate conceded defeat. He said winning was not priority number one for his party at this stage. Faysal said UCID wanted the elections to happen so that the citizens of Somaliland can exercise their political rights and gain experience. UCID was expected to capture the smallest share of votes among the 3 contesting political parties. However an increasing number of political analysts in the country are of the opinion that UCID is the party to watch in next presidential elections. "In a very short period of time Faysal has been able to organize a grass root level support among the youth, and if his party continues to do so in the next 5 years, it may well emerge as the country’s leading party," one Analyst said.
Meanwhile, Faysal Ali Warabe has indicated that he is willing to join a national coalition government, if one was formed. Since the election was a very close contest, many people believe that it will be necessary for the winner to form a coalition type of a government.
Meanwhile, the NEC is expected this morning to release the preliminary voting results. The announcement originally scheduled to appear yesterday has been delayed following an urgent request by the government controlled UDUB party for recounting some of Hargeisa region ballot boxes.
UDUB has also demanded that ballot papers in a number of boxes which have already been found with gross irregularities such as the lack of signatures of party agents, be verified. The demand was accepted by the NEC and the other two parties in the opposition. Further demands by UDUB yesterday evening were however rejected by the NEC.
The international team of observers will issue their final report in due course.
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