Somaliland President accused of undermining the electoral process

In a statement released today, KULMIYE party warns that the recent agreement of Somaliland´s three political parties may fall apart if president Rayaale continues to undermine the electoral process including the formation of the new National Electoral Commission (NEC).

The party´s Foreign Affairs Spokesman, Dr. Mohamed A Omar, says that although the recent internationally brokered agreement offers a workable framework for bringing the stakeholders together to achieve a fair and free election, the president´s consistent refusal to pass the NEC members nominated by the opposition and the Upper House on to the House of Representatives for approval casts doubts on his commitment to the agreement.

"We believe the president´s reaction is unlawful and against the spirit of good cooperation" says the spokesman and calls on the president to refrain from undermining the election and to handle the process swiftly in accordance with the law.

The statement says that the delay will only serve sliding the country back into the political chaos it had been in recently and may deny the nation the potential for staging a democratic election.

"We hope the president will honour the memorandum of understanding aimed to achieve a way out of the political impasse and will stop politicizing the process" says the spokesman.

Kulmiye urges the president to undertake his duties responsibly and to work closely with the other main political stakeholders in establishing confidence among the citizens in the electoral process.

Source: www.somalilandglobe.com