Election Commission Member Says: "Finance Ministry Is Jeopardising Election Timetable"

Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 15, 2007 (SL Times) - A member of the seven man team of the National Election Commission (NEC), Ahmed Muhamad Haji, blamed the ministry of finance on Tuesday for holding back monies allocated to the NEC, which is needed for preparing the country for next year's general election.

Ahmed M. Haji, held a press conference at Star Hotel in Hargeysa to disclose to the public that for almost two months the commission has been waiting for the 25% payment of the government's contributions towards the 2008 general election [75% is being provided by the EU].

"It was on the 10th Dec'07 when we went to the finance ministry to try and establish the cause for the delay in receiving the government's allocated budget for the NEC. We have known for sometime that the president gave the authority needed for the finance ministry to issue us (NEC) the money. And, since 15 October, we have been unsuccessful in getting the finance ministry's response, so it was decided by the NEC to pay a visit to the ministry. Yet, for some unknown reason the Director General (DG), at the ministry made us wait for 2 hours before we could see him. When we did see him, he gave us a cold and rude reception and could not give us a good reason to why this money was not being paid. I, therefore, asked him: `Are you going to pay this money to the NEC, yes or no? All of a sudden, the DG got very abusive and angry and the meeting had to end abruptly", said the election commissioner, Ahmed M. Haji.

Haji was asked, whether the NEC had tried to get president Rayale to intervene? "Yes, we did go to see him about this and told him that, although we were aware that he had given instructions to the finance ministry to process payments for the NEC, yet, we are still confronted with this dire situation. The president was most helpful and said he will resolve the problem. This was two weeks ago and still we have no money to carryout our work,",explained Ahmed Haji.

Haji also revealed that due to unpaid electricity bills at the election commission headquarters, its power supply was cut by the electricity provider, the government national electricity agency. And the bill was settled in the end by the administrative staff of the NEC and was paid from their own pocket.

Haji said, "already a considerable amount of time has been wasted and lost. And there is no way we are likely to meet the election schedule, if the government doesn't honor its commitments.”

In reply to the question `whether he thinks that the government is using delay tactics to postpone the elections?' Ahmed Haji answered: "it seems this is the case."

On Wednesday, the rest of the NEC members held a press conference where they refuted Ahmed M Haji's previous day media statements, and said that only the chairman of the NEC can make statements construed as the official voice of the NEC [the NEC chair is out of the country], and that Haji's remarks are his own views and should not necessarily be taken to represent the national commission.

Source: Somaliland Times