Universal Vote To Be Conducted in Puntland and Somaliland- Polls Boss

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has announced plans to conduct one-person-one-vote elections in Puntland and Somaliland, despite longstanding political disputes between the Federal Government and the two administrations.
The chairman of the commission, Abdikariin Axmed Hassan, said the electoral model recently implemented in South West State would be expanded to the rest of the country, including Puntland and Somaliland.
“We will hold one-person-one-vote elections in Somaliland and Puntland, especially after successfully conducting elections in South West despite the security threats posed by Al-Shabaab,” Hassan said.
The statement is likely to trigger political controversy, particularly in Somaliland, which operates its own electoral and governance system separate from Somalia’s federal institutions.
Unlike other federal member states, Somaliland has already conducted multiple one-person-one-vote elections over the years, including presidential, parliamentary, and local council elections under its self-administered system. The region considers itself independent from Somalia and manages its own electoral calendar, political parties, and institutions without involvement from Mogadishu.
As a result, the commission’s suggestion that Somaliland would be included in Somalia’s planned national elections is expected to face strong resistance from Hargeisa, where authorities have consistently rejected federal oversight or participation in Somalia-led electoral processes.
Puntland has also remained at odds with the Federal Government over constitutional amendments and the direction of Somalia’s electoral process. Puntland authorities have previously suspended cooperation with Mogadishu and opposed aspects of the federal government’s push toward universal suffrage elections.
The Federal Government has recently intensified efforts to transition Somalia away from the clan-based indirect voting model toward universal suffrage, presenting the South West elections as a key step in that process. However, the inclusion of Puntland and especially Somaliland remains politically and constitutionally contentious.