Sunday, January 17, 2016
HARGEISA (HOL) – The breakaway northern Somalia region of Somaliland has officially began to register voters ahead of presidential elections in the region which held previous elections.
Somaliland has earlier announced that it will hold presidential elections in 2016, amid political uncertainty over the current president’s controversial term extension last year which sparked
protests and counter-accusations by the government and opposition parties.
Togdher region became the first place to register voters as materials have been distributed to voting 163 centres in the region Saturday.
Opposition parties have also deployed representatives at the voter registration centres with voters' fingers would be stained with indelible ink
The electoral commission announced that only voters above 16 would be registered and eligible to vote.
The region now heads into the final months of an election season which would see the ruling party contesting against coalition of opposition parties.
Opposition parties have endorsed the process, urging the electoral commission to assist the government in facilitating the election process for the election to ahead on schedule.
President Ahmed Silanyo has earlier declared Togdheer region as the launching point for the voter registration process, despite challenges facing the region which was recently engulfed by draughts and water shortages.
Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia has declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, however, its attempts to gain an international recognition hasn't so far
accomplished success.