But Wadani party chair Abdirahman Irro Refuses to sign an all parties letter to that effect submitted to the Guurti
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The Election date fixing Guurti Select committee is set to discuss a proposal submitted by the three national political parties on the most viable dates for holding the Somaliland presidential and parliamentary elections.
This development follows a letter submitted by the three national political parties of Kulmiye, UCID and Wadani to Guurti chair Suleiman Mahmud Aden suggesting November 2016 as the trios’ agreed date for holding the postponed elections.
Accordingly the 25 member Guurti select committee established to fixing election dates and subsequent extension of the tenure of president Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo that expires on 26th June 2015 is expected to expedite announcement of the much debated polls date.
The presidential and Parliamentary elections initially slated for July 2015 were shifted to 1st June 2016 by the national election commission-NEC on technical and legal grounds thus setting the stage for Guurti elders, as per constitutional stipulations, to either approve the NEC proposed dates or fix new ones.
If Guurti agrees with the parties’ suggestion of 15th November 2016 then the Somaliland elections and subsequent presidential term extension shall be five months more than initially wished-for by NEC as revealed by the leaders of UCID and Kulmiye at a joint press briefing in Hargeisa
According to the UCID party leader Eng Feisal Ali Warabe, the opposition party agreed to postponing elections for 17 months due to matters of national interest, Saying “in lieu of the fact that NEC has a lot to do especially as pertains holding of two elections simultaneously (presidential and parliamentary) which is a first in the country, we agreed to adding five months and 15 dates to the one year initially suggested by NEC”
On its part the ruling Kulmiye party a says that the dates agreed by the three parties is just a suggestion as it is the Guurti which has the constitutional mandate to allocate elections dates in the country from NEC recommendations.
Informing that the s 17 months extension was mutually agreed by the three parties leaders during meeting held in Hargeisa on 5th and 7th May the Kulmiye chair Muse Behi said reasons leading to the refusal of Wadani’s Abdirahman Irro to sign are inexplicable.
While the letter indicate three parties consensus on 15th November 2016 as the date of the elections only two signatures are appended namely that of Musa Behi of ruling Kulmiye and Eng Feisal Ali of UCID with the Wadani party slot remaining blank after its chairman Abdirahman Abdilahi Irro refused to sign.
Watch this site for WHY Wadani’s signature is missing
