Former Puntland Presidential Candidate Urges Constitutional Amendment For District Elections in Puntland

Constitutional Amendments: Ali Haji Warsame cautions against the possibility that a subclan with a demographic advantage could decide who will become district councillors in a given district.

Garowe (PP News Desk) — Ali Haji Warsame, a former Education Minister and Puntland Presidential Candidate, has called for an open-minded discussion on Puntland democratisation process of which the second phase of district council elections constitute a major part.

Writing in Puntland Post, Ali draws attention constitutional barriers that need to be removed by way of amendments before district elections get underway. “Article 56 of Puntland State Constitution stipulates “Members of Puntland Parliament will elect the President and the Vice President. Without a census the number of Puntland Parliament MPs will remain 66” wrote Ali.

Among other anomalies that he cautions against is the possibility that a subclan with demographic advantage could select who will become district councillors in a given district. “Since the Puntland Parliament will elect the President and Vice President regardless of any party that wins the majority of votes, corruption could decide the outcome” argued Ali.

© Puntland Post, 2022