HARGEISA, Somalia Sep 6 (Garowe Online) -
Authorities in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland have declared that presidential elections scheduled for late September have been postponed again, a day after lawmakers accused government leaders of corruption, Radio Garowe reports.
Somaliland's election commission announced during a Sunday press conference in Hargeisa that the September 27 presidential election will not be held due to prevailing circumstances.
Mr. Jama "Sweden" Mohamud, the election commission's chairman, told reporters that the seven-member commission unanimously agreed on three key issues.
"We reached three decisions after long meetings regarding the possibility of proper elections under the current circumstances," Mr. Sweden said.
He noted that the election commission has "rescinded the decision to hold the elections without the voters' registration data." Somaliland opposition parties had previously threatened to boycott September's presidential election if the voters'
list was not used.
Secondly, Mr. Sweden said: "It is impossible to hold the election as scheduled on September 27, when you look at current political, economic and technical conditions." He did not provide a new date for the presidential election, however.
Finally, the election commission decided to "give an opportunity to ongoing talks" aimed at ending the political dispute between Somaliland President Dahir Riyale and the two opposition parties, Kulmiye and UCID.
Mr. Riyale, who was democratically elected in 2003, has stayed in power after his five-year term expired in April 2008. He was since awarded two term-extensions by Somaliland's upper house of parliament, the House of Guurti.
Somaliland opposition parties have not publicy responded to the latest election delay, which comes a day after 39 MPs in the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives, introduced a motion in parliament accusing President Riyale and members of his administration of "corruption and constitutional violations."
Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Irro," the House Speaker, told reporters that the MPs called government leaders, including Vice President Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, to appear in front of parliament and answer lawmakers' questions.
Located in northwest Somalia, Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the Horn of Africa country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
Source: Garowe Online
