Waddani party pulls out from agreement on NEC

Hargeisa, Aug 18 (Somaliland.com) – he leader of the Waddani party Mr Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan announced today that their party is withdrawing from the election agreement reached by the three political parties in the presence of the international community after the government allegedly prevented the agreement from reaching the House of Representatives.

Mr Hersi in a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Hargeisa said the agreement has neither reached the House nor were the MPs allowed to debate or vote on it.

The leadership of Somaliland’s House of Representatives has yesterday blocked to put on the floor the motion to approve the agreement of the political parties which ended the deadlock over the local and parliamentary election.

The three political parties of Somaliland agreed last month that a new electoral commission be formed and which will have nine commissioners instead of former seven with three commissioners slots allotted to each of the three political parties.

‘It is ridiculous and surprising that the President-led agreement which was signed at his desk by the two opposition chairmen and witnessed by the nation and the international community has been blocked by a lawyer. How can a legal adviser say what the president and all the parties agreed on is illegal? It is very strange and ridiculous. The lawyer can express his or her view on the matter at hand, but the agreement was supposed to be brought before the representatives to ratify or reject the agreed amendment to the country’s electoral body.

Mr Hersi Ali accused the president and the ruling party; Kulmiye; of deliberately creating obstacles to the agreement, but he left the door open for negotiations to oversee the smooth implementation of the accord.

The recent agreement was brokered by the EU ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Nicolas Berlanga, who has invested great efforts to achieve that breakthrough.

Nearly two years has been expended over this election impasse, allowing the overdue parliament to remain on the seat for more than 14 years.

Read also: