By Suleiman Sabdow
The Somali Nation was yesterday treated to a bizarre spectacle after delegates who were electing representatives of the breakaway Somaliland upper House senators in the federal parliament emerged in the election centre in Halane Camp wearing face masks and pieces of clothes as they cast their votes on who will represent them in the next years.
Photos taken in the Afisyoni that surfaced in the media showed a good number of delegates in masks and others wrap-around pieces of clothes in their faces to conceal their identity for undisclosed reasons.
Online netizens questioned the motive behind the strategy with some social media users stating that the delegates wore face masks to hid their faces from Al- Shabaab militants who have so often intimidated elders from taking part in Somalia’s electoral processes.
However, others argued that they hid their faces from Somaliland authorities who are against the participation of any affairs relating to federal government of Somalia and some even face detention for several months upon return to the semi- autonomous state for taking part in the building up of Somali government.
Eleven seats were up for graps in the slots reserved for northern Somaliland. Outgoing Senate Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, University of Minnesota scholar Prof.Abdi Ismail Samatar ,deposed former interior minister Osman Abubakar Dubbe, Layla Ahmed Ismail and Bilal Idris Abdullahi emerged victorious in yesterday’s polls.The other remaining five seats are scheduled for today.
Somaliland has been seeking international recognition since 1991 after the collapse of the government of dictator Said Barre that led to the country descend into decades of chaos and civil wars.
European Union has so far hailed the Somaliland electoral process and urged the other federal states to expedite and wrap up their elections.
Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble in a statement posted on his Twitter handle congratulated the six senators representing the northern Somaliland who were elected yesterday and lauded the process and called for transparency in the polls.
Congratulations to the senators elected to represent the Northern Regions (Somaliland) at #Somalia’s Upper House. I commend SIET for their effective management of the SL senate elections. Maintaining the momentum is key to the expeditious conclusion of the national elections. pic.twitter.com/QeE5rGrNVR
— Mohamed Hussein Roble (@MohamedHRoble) September 30, 2021
“Congratulations to the Senators who won today’s elections for the BFS, upper House representing the Northern regions ( Somaliland).I hope the election ends peacefully and transparently.” Said Roble.
