Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland has rescheduled its Presidential polls initially slated for November 2022 to next year, the region’s electoral body said on Saturday.
In August, deadly demonstrations broke out in the region with protesters demanding elections be held in November amid suspicions President Muse Bihi Abdi may delay the poll and extend his own term.
According to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (SLNEC) on Saturday, the poll will hold in July 2023 because the current scheduled date of November 13, “is not viable due to time, technical and financial constraints.”
Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international acknowledgement for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has battled insurgency and a three-decade-long civil war.
In August, at least five people were killed and 100 injured following clashes between security forces and opposition protesters.
Wadani, one of the opposition parties that championed the August protests, welcomed the new date after the SLNEC’s announcement.
“We welcome the decision we congratulate them for ending the controversy of the presidential election,” Mohamud Aden Jama, Wadani party’s information secretary, told the press conference.