“The UK and the international community as a whole, are closely watching the June 26 Election”

Ambassador Norman Ling

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 5, 2010the British ambassador to Ethiopia Mr. Norman Ling has re-affirmed his government’s support for Somaliland’s democratization process.

In an interview with the Somaliland editor, Yusuf A. Gabobe earlier this week, Mr. Ling welcomed the June 26^th presidential elections while expressing pleasure at the way preparation for the polling have been going until now.

“Helping to assist Somaliland's democratization process is a priority for the UK. When successful Presidential elections have been concluded, we will consider working with NEC and other authorities to support future planned elections.” Mr. Ling said.

The envoy has also stressed the importance that the international community attaches to the success of the presidential elections.

“The UK, and the international community as a whole, are closely watching the June 26 elections. Somaliland's democratization process is very important to many donors and the upcoming elections are a key test of this.  Successful elections later this month will enable Somaliland to further enhance and reinforce its democratic credentials.  We have been discussing with other members of the international community what more we could do to support development in Somaliland. If the elections are successful we certainly hope to see other countries looking to do more in Somaliland,” he added

For the full text of the interview see below:

Q: How the UK government sees the presidential elections to happen in Somaliland on June 26?

A: We welcome the  fact that a firm date for the elections  has now been set and are pleased that preparations  for the elections have gone smoothly. The National Electoral Commission has proved itself to be very competent and deserves congratulations for the way it has driven the process forward. It has been good to see the Commissioners work so well together as a team. As a result the Commission has clearly won the confidence of the public and all the key stakeholders in the electoral process. The parties also deserve credit for giving the Commission the space it needed to do its job. And elders and civil society representatives have been playing a constructive role behind the scenes.   

Q: President Riyale and his Udub party have accepted, albeit reluctantly, the voter registration review results. But there are still many people who have concerns about the fact that the bio-metric system failed not only in preventing multiple registration but also in detecting and rectifying it. What do you say to the the criticism that places the blame on donors, allegedly for not providing the necessary technology for addressing the problem that they were warranted to deliver as implied by the 6-point agreement?

A: The 6-point agreement set out that there was a need to further refine the Voter List, and that international experts would be invited to assist the National Electoral Commission in recommending how this could be done. The experts submitted their recommendations, and the NEC decided to refine the list through a combination of manual and electronic cleansing, followed by the display and verification process which has just finished. With these measures, and the additional safeguards which the NEC intends to implement on election day, we are confident that previous problems will have been addressed.

Q: Will the UK continue its assistance for Somaliland's democratization process, particularly with regard to next municipal and parliamentary elections, both due later this year?

A: Helping to assist Somaliland's democratization process is a priority for the UK. When successful Presidential elections have been concluded, we will consider working with NEC and other authorities to support future planned elections. 

Q: What about other aspects of 'good governance' such as state-building which is one area recognized by most donors now as being an integral part of the democratization process and an essential task in the fight against terrorism?

A: We agree that democratization is not just about holding elections. That is why we have allocated around $2m this financial year to build governance institutions across Somaliland and improve access to justice for poor and vulnerable people.

Q: What do you think Somaliland is likely to loose or gain internationally if the upcoming June 26 elections failed or succeeded in meeting  universally accepted standards?

A: The UK, and the international community as a whole, are closely watching the June 26 elections. Somaliland's democratization process is very important to many donors and the upcoming elections are a key test of this.  The delays in the Presidential elections undoubtedly caused some to question the robustness of Somaliland's democracy. So successful elections later this month will enable Somaliland to further enhance and reinforce its democratic credentials.  We have been discussing with other members of the international community what more we could do to support development in Somaliland, building on the peace and stability that Somaliland has enjoyed for so long. If the elections are successful we certainly hope to see other countries looking to do more in Somaliland.  

Q: Most people in the Kulmiye opposition party camp are already smelling victory come June 26. Regardless of whether such a scent is in the air or not, how your government will view a Kulmiye victory any way, in terms of UK-Somaliland relations?

A: The UK will continue to value its important relationship with Somaliland whoever wins the election. 

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