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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, August 8, 2009 – MP Dr. Ahmed Abdi Kinjande has delivered
Tuesday during a parliamentary debate an uncharacteristically stinging
attack on the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Somaliland over its
recent decision to abandon the voter registration list, which he
described as tantamount to “high treason”.
The decision by the NEC to consign the voter registration list into the
dustbin is contrary to the letter and spirit of Somaliland’ Electoral
Law and flies in the face of the tripartite agreement signed by the
major political parties including president Rayale’ ruling party, UDUB,
analysts believe.
Dr. Kijande (Kul-BG) congratulated the leaders of the two houses of
Somaliland’s parliament for their high moral courage and patriotic duty
to condemn the decision by the NEC to abandon voter registration list as
well as president Rayale’s unilateral decision to expel Interpeace, the
agency responsible for the democratization and electoral process and
representative of donor countries to Somaliland.
Dr. Kijande said such actions, particularly the decision to kick all
donor countries out of the country, would only serve to conspire against
Somaliland’s quest for international recognition and would pose
existential threat to Somaliland at a time the country desperately need
more friends.
“The president does not seem to grasp that a free and fair election is
one based on the use of voter registration list,” said Dr. Kijande.
Dr. Kijande also lashed out at Rayale for his tragic failure to resolve
the simmering tension in El-Bardaleh, where four innocent men lost their
lives last month following the eruption of violence between the
president’s clan and another clan.
“I have yet to hear from the president as to what he will do about the
tension prevailing in El-Bardaleh area,” Dr. Kijande said during the
parliamentary debate.
Dr. Kijande called upon fellow MPs to impeach and remove Rayale from
office.
Representative Ibrahim Dhaadheere (UDUB-OW), former Speaker of the
House, not only concurred the idea of impeachment and removal of Dahir
Rayale from office but also advised president Rayale to step down
willingly or face impeachment.
Representative Mohammed Nur Arrale Duur (UDUB-OW) called for the
immediate impeachment of Rayale while Representative Farhan Mohamed Ali
(UDUB-EA) said, “President Dahir Rayale Kahin and Jama Mohamed Omer,
chairman of the NEC, had jointly agreed to overthrow the Republic of
Somaliland”. Both should be impeached, he added.
Former health minister and head of the UDUB party reformists, Abdillahi
Hussein Iman Darawal, called president Rayale’s unilateral decision to
expel donor countries
“high treason”.
The two leaders of Somaliland’s House of Parliament also condemned
president Rayale’s decision to expel donor countries.
There are growing calls for the impeachment of Dahir Rayale Kahin within
Somaliland parliament particularly from UDUB party ranks.
A high-voltage acrimony between president Dahir Rayale Kahin and NEC on
one side, and the opposition political parties and the two Houses of
parliament on the other side, over the abandonment of registration list
and subsequent expulsion of Interpeace from the country continues to
prevail in the political landscape of Somaliland.
Source: Somaliland Globe, August 5, 2009
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