Lasanod (PPM) — The Mayor of Lasanod Mr Abdiaziz Hussein Hassan has welcomed the egreement on local and parliamentary elections reached by Somaliland political parties.
“Regular elections are what can boost the democratic credentials of Somaliland” the Mayor said. Responding to a question about the lopsided representation in Somaliland known by many people as the power-sharing element, the Mayor of Lasanod pointed to anomalies in the distribution of Somaliland parliamentary seats for Sool region. “Political representation is a burning issue among Sool constituencies. Sool has twelve parliamentary seats. Six parliamentary seats go to Aynaba district, the rest of the six seats are shared among three Sool districts: Lasanod, Huddun and Taleh” the Mayor of Lasanod said.
Democratic deficit caused by the current system of political representation in Somaliland affects legitimacy of institutions and citizens’ cohesion. The distribution of parliamentary seats in Somaliland dates back to 2001, when Somaliland adopted a multiparty system. Only one district of Sool, Ainaba, was then under the jurisdiction of Somaliland.
Since 2010 two presidential elections have taken place in Lasanod, Huddun and Taleh districts. Holding parliamentary and local elections without modifying the current parliamentary seat distribution system that awards less seats to districts in Sool and other parts of Somaliland will deepen the problem of voting without commensurate representation rights.
Development aid in Somaliland gets distributed on the basis a constituency’s size. Most parts of Sool remains designated as disputed territories inaccessible to aid workers. The Lasanod Mayor’s views on the democratic deficit will animate debates about the hidebound political system of Somaliland.
© Puntland Post Monthly, 2020
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