International observers Congratulate Somalilanders as Supreme Court announces final results on Presidential Election

[Deeq A.]

Somaliland’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld the preliminary results of the presidential election,originally released by the National Electoral Commission on 21 November. That decision confirms Mr Muse Bihi Abdi, leader of Kulmiye Party, as the president-elect. The international election observation mission (EOM) congratulates all Somalilanders, including Mr Bihi and the other candidates, on the conclusion of the electoral process.

Says Dr Michael Walls, chief observer of the EOM:
“We congratulate the new president, and are pleased that, after some post-poll tensions, political parties have followed legal channels in confirming the election result, which has now been accepted by all candidates. We applaud political leaders on all sides for their public statements stressing the importance of the gains made by Somaliland to date. Somalilanders have once again shown their strong commitment to peaceful electoral democracy and we look forward to a continuation of that process as we now look toward the much-delayed parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held in tandem with local council polls in 2019.”

The EOM, which was funded by the British government and included 60 observers from 27
countries, observed the election at the invitation of the NEC. The mission, led by the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London (UCL), and Somaliland Focus UK, observed 350 polling stations and tallying centres across Somaliland’s six regions on polling day.

The EOM was able to report a largely peaceful and well-organised polling day in areas observed, albeit with some concerns. We noted at the time that irregularities observed were not of sufficient scale to have impacted the final result. Throughout the election period, Somalilanders demonstrated their support for the rule of law and constitutional process, voting peacefully and in significant numbers, and we applaud this ongoing commitment to peaceful participation in an impressively open electoral system.

Notes to Editors
1. For further information or to arrange an interview with a member of the
coordination team, please contact Conrad Heine (EOM media coordinator) on
+44 (0)7870 642 852 or ieosomalilandmedia@gmail.com. Photographs are also
available.
2. Somaliland declared unilateral independence from Somalia in 1991
following the collapse of Somalia’s government. It remains internationally

3. The mission is online at www.somalilandfocus.org.uk, @SomalilandFocus
and facebook.com/EOMSomaliland2017.