Somaliland presidential inauguration ceremony to be held today
The breakaway region of Somaliland will today hold the presidential inauguration of its president-elect Musa Bihi Abdi of Kulmiye Party in Hargeysa, the state capital.
The event is expected to be graced by regional and international delegates including a former Somaliland president Dahir Riyale Kahim who is expected to travel in from France according to BBC Somali reporter in the region.
Bihi becomes the 5th president of Somaliland since it declared secession from Somalia in 1991. He will take over from the outgoing leader Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo who has been in office since 2010. They both hail from Kulmiye Party.
President Bihi is deputized by Abdirahman Seyli’i.
The other contending two parties were UCID’s headed by Faisal Ali Warabe and Waddani led by Abdirahman Irro. The local constitutions limits the number of contending parties to 3 only.
In late November, Somaliland Electoral Commission chairman Abdikadir Iman Warsame announced Bihi winner having garnered 350,909 votes translating to 55.19% of the vote while his erstwhile opponent Waddani’s Abdirahman Irro came second with 226,099 (40.73%). UCID’s Faisal Ali Warabe trailed at a distant third with 23,141 (4.17%).
The presidential election was successfully held in mid November across the region. The voting exercise was largely peaceful except on few skirmishes when Waddani Presidential candidate Abdirahman Irro cited voting irregularities but later accepted the process when he met with Somaliland National Electoral Commission (SNEC) chairperson Abdikadir Iman Warsame and they agreed on the way forward.
It’s the 5th presidential elections since the region declared self independence from Somalia in the early 1990s.
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