Somaliland House of Representative Elects Opposition Figure as new Speaker

Abdirizak Khalif, the only candidate from the coalition parties of Somaliland, has been elected as the new speaker of the house of representatives becoming the 8th speaker of the house. Government officials and foregn diplomats were present at the event where the speakership electoral process took place.

Abdirizak Khalif gained 42 votes while his rival from the Ruling party Yasin Faraton; a former foreign minister, got 39 votes. The house also elected the first and second deputy of the speaker from the coalition parties.

In the recently concluded house of representatives, Somaliland opposition parties managed to get majority seats of the house but this couldn’t make it possible for them to win the race after some of their Mps endorsed Faraton as the speaker.

But, the story changed after Ahmed Nour Guruuje and Meecad , lawmakers from the ruling party, explicitly voted for Abdirizak Khalif which let to him becoming the new speaker of the house.

Abdirizak Khalif, a former finance minister of Somaliland is now the 8th speaker of Somaliland’s house of representatives since the country withdrew from unity with Somalia in 1991.