Month: May 2021

voters go to the polls to elect their parliamentary and local representatives.

Long queues were reported in the early hours of Monday in the capital Hargeisa. Some of the voters have been queuing up to two hours prior to the opening of polling stations at 7:00 a.m. local time.

The President of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi told VOA Somali that the election should be conducted in a peaceful manner.

“If one has a dispute when the election passes, the argument should be calm and civil,” he said. “You should not undermine the interest of the nation. Complain peacefully, the court is open.”

More than 1 million people have registered to vote, a record in Somaliland. The previous presidential election in November 2017 recorded just over 700,000 registered voters, according to government figures.

Somaliland held six popular elections, and three presidential elections since 2003. But this will be only the second time that Somaliland holds parliamentary elections. The current members of parliament were elected in 2005, but quotas, allocation of seats, prioritizing presidential, electoral laws have delayed parliamentary elections multiple times, observers say.

Among those voting today is a 17-year-old first time voter Amira Ahmed. “This will be the first time I get to participate in Somaliland national elections,” she told VOA. “I’m very happy.”

Another voter, Mustafe Mohamed Abdullahi, said he received a text message from the election commission the day before, reminding him where he has registered to vote.

“They told me that I got my ballot in Badda As [a neighborhood in Hargeisa]. They said I should cast my vote there as a citizen. So, I’m ready,” he said.

In the parliament, there are 246 candidates from the three registered political parties vying for the 82- seat House of Representatives.

Rights activists say 13 female candidates are participating in the parliamentary elections alone in a broader effort to increase women’s representation. There is just one female lawmaker in the current parliament.

Civil rights activist and former Somaliland representative to the United Kingdom Ayan Mahamoud has been advocating for the candidates from the marginalized minority Gaboye communities, and women. According to a report published by the Minority Rights Group International, an advocacy group focusing on global minority rights, the Gaboye “have traditionally been considered distinct and lower-caste groups.”

“The two most pressing issues are rights of minority groups such as Gaboye communities and women,” she told VOA.

“There’s one Somaliland woman representative now, but fortunately we have 13 standing. If they are voted in at least, we will have 10 %.”

The Gaboye community has no representation in current parliament, Mahamoud says. She has been urging voters to correct that record.

“It’s only fair and just to break with the horrible past and stigmatization of our Gaboye communities,” she said.

“Democracy is about equality and fairness and not only about the will of the majority.”

The Somaliland National Electoral Commission increased the number of polling stations to 2,709 from 1,642 in 2017 due to the expected higher turnout.

The increase in the number of registered voters have been attributed to the participation of youth in the election. This is also the first time in Somaliland that two elections — parliament and local councilors — take place at the same time.

The voting also coincides with two historic milestones in Somaliland. It was 20 years ago Monday when Somaliland adopted the constitution that enshrines the multiparty democratic system. Also, this month, Somaliland commemorated 30 years since declaring secession from the rest of Somalia.

Despite holding democratic elections, Somaliland failed to gain international recognition as an independent state. But this did not stop the presence of international observers. There are 103 international election observers who have arrived to witnesses the election proceedings, President Abdi said. They include observers from Europe and Africa, among them the former President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma.

Source: Voice of America

Nigerian political observers are expressing concern over the many attacks on the facilities of Nigeria’s electoral body – the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC. INEC officials say the commission has recorded at least 42 attacks on its facilities since the last polls in 2019.

Nine attacks occurred in 2019 and 21 others took place last year. But in the last four weeks, 12 more offices of the commission have either been set ablaze or vandalized.

The latest incident occurred Sunday in southeastern Imo state. Ballot boxes, voting cubicles, power generators and utility vehicles were destroyed.

Election officials are evaluating the extent of the damage but say an initial assessment shows it could significantly affect their ability to conduct credible elections in the affected places.

Political analysts like Jibrin Ibrahim, a senior fellow at the Center for Democracy and Development, agree that attacks on facilities coupled with Nigeria’s general security challenges and separatist calls in two areas will affect polls.

“When some people are saying, ‘We want out of the nation,’ others are saying let’s just vote and keep the nation, it becomes a difficult context to ensure that there’s a level playing ground for election,” Ibrahim said.

Officials blame unidentified armed groups and the separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, for the latest attacks. IPOB advocates for an independent state in a part of Nigeria that tried to break away more than 50 years ago.

The government has not commented on the attacks.

In recent months, Nigeria has seen an escalation in violence by armed criminal groups, as well as the rising profile of IPOB and another separatist movement in southwestern Nigeria.

But political analyst and co-founder Youth Hub Africa Rotimi Olawale says insecurities can only delay elections but not hinder them.

“I am assured that the 2023 general elections will hold as scheduled. In 2019, the election was moved for a couple of weeks to allow for better management of the security architecture in the northeastern part of Nigeria. At the very worst-case scenario, I suspect that the elections in 2023 might also be moved for a few weeks,” Olawale said.

Last week, INEC chief Mahmood Yakubu declared attacks on election offices a national emergency and met with top security chiefs to address the problem.

At a meeting Thursday, Nigerian security units pledged to support the commission by beefing up security around election offices.

However, expert Ezenwa Nwagwu says the attacks are politically driven and will likely escalate before the next polls.

“The Nigerian political elite [is] not innovative. They have not found any other means of negotiating for power except violence. You’re going to see that towards next year, there will be the escalation of this violence,” Nwagwu said.

INEC is approaching a major gubernatorial election, set for this November. Next month, the commission will begin a voter registration process for Nigeria’s general polls in 2023.

Experts say the security situation will determine both turnout and the credibility of the process.

Source: Voice of America