The distribution of voting cards and the replacements of old cards with new ones has gone on this week without any major incidents. Yes there were a couple of incidents where card distribution locations in Hargeysa were closed by the police for alleged violations of procedures, but that had little impact on the overall process which went smoothly. It is noteworthy that the voter card distribution is going on in all the regions of the country which sends a clear signal that Somaliland government writ now extends throughout its territory. This is important for two reasons. One, it can no longer be said that some regions were left out of the electoral process. Two, it will contribute towards a more fair representation of the electorate in the national and local elections.
It is also interesting that there has been some sort of role reversal in the reactions of the governing party and the opposition. Usually, in these types of situations, it is the opposition that complains of government electoral hanky panky, whereas, in this case, it was the government that was most vocal in accusations of irregularities against the opposition parties and the electoral commission. The opposition answered those claims, the Election Commission kept its cool, and the process went on without any major disruption. This augurs well for Somaliland for it shows that Somaliland’s political class is willing to keep its competition within acceptable parameters. Of course, it is still too early to say that Somaliland’s political parties have handled their duties in a responsible and patriotic manner, but for sure we can say: so far, so good.




























 

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search