Somaliland clan minorities want
more seat quotas in Parliament and municipal elections
Adnan Dahir Muhumed
University of Hargeisa –
Hargeisa
Somaliland minority groups slam a draft amendment of
municipality and presidential election laws, saying it
is unfair to allocate a single seat for the four
minority sub clans of Somaliland.
Somaliland has a three-party political system through
which the candidates for the municipality council and
parliamentarians contest. Therefore, the minority clans
found it very difficult to win any of the seats of
September 2005 and December 2002 parliament and local
government elections, respectively.
“Parliament ought not pass a law that will result in a
blight and oppression for Somaliland people” say
minority groups in a press conference with members from
Somaliland human rights organizations.
Parliament is set to discuss amendments of municipality
and presidential election laws in two weeks time.
Improvements of the law include one seat quota for the
minority groups.
“Today minority clans have no representatives in the
parliament,” says Abdirashed Abdi Hussein, a member of
minority rights activist.
Somaliland clans’ reconciliation conference of 1997 held
in Borama gave a quota of one seat to the minority
groups in both houses of Elders (upper house) and
Parliament (representatives). But, these have changed as
democratization process and Somaliland’s multiparty
system elections.
The big question is whether the minority groups will
succeed their demand for a more seat quotas.
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