Somaliland NEC Take Part In Kenyan General Election

Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 29, 2007 (SL Times) – Four members of the National Election Commission (NEC) of Somaliland flew to Nairobi last Saturday to be among the many hundreds of international election observers overseeing the Kenyan general elections which took place Thursday.

Mr Hersi Ali Hassan, the deputy-chairman of the NEC spoke briefly to reporters, at Hargeysa Egal international airport, just before leaving for Nairobi on 22/12/07.

“We have been invited by the Kenyan election commission to be part of the large contingent of international observers monitoring the Kenyan presidential and parliamentary elections. There are four of us going from the NEC, and on 26 Dec’ 07, representatives from our three political parties will fly out to Nairobi to also take part in the election monitoring.”

Both the NEC and the three political party representatives have been invited to participate in the election monitoring with the assistance of the International Republican Institute ( IRI). The IRI is also assisting the Somaliland NEC and parliament in the coming elections in 2008. The IRI is currently conducting a three year project initiatives for advancing Somaliland’s democratic development as part of the US government’s aid package to Somaliland.

The deputy chair was asked, “whether the NEC funds intended for next year’s general election in Somaliland which the government delayed, for so long, still is unpaid by the government?”

“I can confirm that the government has paid the first instalment of NEC monies,” said Hersi Ali Hassan, deputy chair of Somaliland’s NEC.

Source: Somaliland Times