The European Union on Wednesday urged the Somaliland government and all political stakeholders to commit to holding parliamentary and local elections before the end of 2020.
In August, the National Electoral Commission announced that the elections would be delayed until at least next year. The elections, which were supposed to be held alongside local council elections in March, were also postponed before that.
Elections for the House of Representatives, which were last held in 2005, have been repeatedly postponed since.
“We are especially concerned by the decision of the Guurti to extend both House of Representatives and Guurti’s mandates to January 2022 and January 2023 respectively. Both Houses, established to represent the women and men of Somaliland, have been sitting for a period much too long by any democratic standards. Local councils have been operating without a democratic mandate since April 2019,” a joint statement from the delegation of the European Union to Somalia read in part.
The EU also expressed concerns over what it sees as a crackdown on freedom of expression and the harassment of dissenting voices.
“We are concerned that events have significantly undermined these commitments to the detriment of Somaliland’s democratic credentials and international standing. Likewise, we are deeply concerned by instances of seemingly arbitrary detentions and by increased restrictions on freedom of expression,” the statement said.
Between April and May, Amnesty International reported that four individuals were arrested after publishing Facebook posts critical of the government.
The EU further called for an independent electoral commission which will inspire trust from all political stakeholders and citizens.
“Only strong, democratically elected institutions can deliver the development outcomes that the people of Somaliland deserve. This is also what we as partners expect from our cooperation with Somaliland,” the statement read in conclusion.
The United States has also previously called on the Guurti to set a timeline for parliamentary and local elections to take place as soon as possible, noting that such delays undermine democratic progress in Somaliland.
