Bihi gets two more years in trade-off with Guurti which bags five

GOOBJOOG NEWS|HARGEISA: Somaliland President Muse Bihi will now be in office for another two years after the Upper House, locally referred to as Guurti voted Saturday to add him more years barely a week after the electoral commission delayed the elections for nine months.

The Guurti also referred to as the House of Elders said elections will now take place in two years. The exercise was scheduled for November 13 in line with the constitutional five years limit. Bihi who heads the Kulmiye Party took over the reins of power from his predecessor Ahmed Silayo in November 2017.

TRADE-OFF

In a move characteristic of its legislative precedents, the Guurti also added itself five more years. By adding itself five more years, the Guurti, which has never undergone any elections since 2001 now gets an almost lifetime status.

Somaliland Constitution passed in 2001 created the Upper Chamber made of clan elders and set six-year limit for each term. However, none of these constitutional provisions has been upheld. The chamber has operated in a hereditary manner as elders who pass on bequeath the seats to their kin.

The chamber is made up of 82 members drawn from the sub-clans.

Protests broke out in September as citizens demanded the elections are held in time but the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (SLNEC) announced on September 25 that elections will now be held in nine months ‘due to time, technical and financial constraints.’

Wadani party welcomed the new timelines by the SLNEC and hailed the polls body ‘ending the controversy of the presidential election.’ But a week later, the tables have now turned and more protests will likely follow today’s vote.

The break-away region which now marks 31 years since its founding when the central government collapsed in Mogadishu has had several electoral delays.

Elections for members of parliament were held in May 2020 after being severally delayed since 2005.