Garowe (PP Commentary) — At last, the Puntland State Government is taking steps to address anomalies in its constitution. At a conference titled Reviewing Regional and District Administrative Laws, participants candidly examined constitutional articles that contradict the federal system of Somalia.
Saida Qacle, an adviser to the President of Puntland, remarked that there is no such thing as “Puntland citizenship.” “Eligibility to vote in Puntland is based on residency status [of the Somali citizens]. Puntland is a Federal Member State. It is odd to say that the Puntland Ministry of Interior is working on a Puntland citizenship law. Does the government not pay attention to what it is saying?” said Saida.
Puntland’s Minister of Interior, Abdi Farah Said (Juha), is commendable for initiating a discussion on constitutional contradictions. The Puntland Constitution, which was amended and ratified in 2012, includes Article 39, stating: “Any person who is a Puntlander by birth or who acquired the status of Puntlander in accordance with the law shall be recognised as a citizen of Puntland.”
Article 39 appears to propose a parallel form of citizenship to that of the Somali citizenship. It remains unclear whether the signatories of the 1998 Charter were given the opportunity to review the draft constitution, particularly the articles relating to citizenship. “We cannot rectify the mistakes of the Federal Government of Somalia if we don’t rectify our own mistakes,” said Mohamed Abdirahman Farole, Puntland Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
The amended Puntland Constitution also mentions the sovereignty or nationhood of Puntland in two conflicting translations. Notably, the Puntland State Government has yet to publish an official, certified translation of its amended constitution.
“Since this constitution sets out the general structure of the Puntland Government, it will also impact other people in the Federal Republic of Somalia,” reads the introduction, co-authored by Abdirahman Farole, President of Puntland (2009–2014).Despite this, the Puntland Constitution does not apply to other Federal Member States. In practice, Puntland’s electoral law adheres to Somali citizenship law. Several councillors who won seats in the 2023 local government elections hail from southern Somalia.
The constitution remains a major source of tension between Puntland and the Federal Government of Somalia. It was initially drafted at a time when Somalia lacked a functioning transitional government, and it was later amended when Somalia was transitioning from a transitional federal government to a permanent government in 2012.
Puntland cannot make meaningful institutional or governance progress if its constitution fails to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The onus is now on President Said Abdullahi Deni to initiate a constitutional reform process to amend clauses that inadvertently suggest Puntland is a secessionist entity within Somalia.
© Puntland Post, 2025
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