Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, is holding crucial presidential and parliamentary elections this Wednesday (13 November) that many of its residents hope will help the Somali enclave secure international recognition 33 years after declaring independence.
This breakaway region of Somalia has its own functioning government and institutions, money, passports and army, but has never been recognized by any country in the world since it unilaterally declared its independence in 1991. This is the fourth presidential election in Somaliland since 1991 and many hope that “it will further improve Somaliland’s democratic credentials, and it will improve Somaliland’s image in the international arena,” says Mubarak Abdulahi Daljir, vice president of Admas University in Addis Ababa.
More than 1 million registered and eligible voters are reportedly heading to the polls to choose their new president from among three candidates, including incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi. He is running against Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the Waddani party and Faisal Ali Warabe of the Justice and Development Party, or UCID. Many of its 6.2 million people hope the elections will consolidate Somaliland’s fragile democracy, boost economic growth, gain recognition from the international community and help it play a larger role in the wider region.
However, the vote comes amid growing tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over a controversial deal that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland, potentially granting the former a 50-year lease of access to the Red Sea coastline in exchange for the potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence.