​Somalia: 3 MPs to be elected for Somaliland community in Lower House election

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The ballots to elect MPs representing Somaliland community in the Lower House chamber of the federal parliament has resumed on Sunday in Mogadishu, Garowe Online reports. 

According to the electoral commission, 3 seats allocated for Habar Yonis and Arab sub-clans will be contested in today's election which is set to kick off at the Police transport headquarters in Mogadishu. 

The Federal  Indirect Electoral Implementation team (FIEIT) has announced the resumption of election which has been suspended last week due to the inauguration of the new Somali Federal Parliament.

FIEIT said 30 MPs out of 46 seats assigned to Somaliland community have been elected, and the rest are expected to be completed in the coming days, before the election of the House Speakers and the President.

Today's polls saw the election if Fawsiyo Yusuf Haji, former Foreign Minister and outgoing Federal MP for the first seat, after defeating her rivals with majority 45 votes. 

For the second seat, Abdifatah Ismail Tahir was also elected as Federal MP after landslide win with 46 votes against his opponents, according to the polls results.

The electoral process will see a total of 275 members elected to the Lower House plus 72 Upper House Senators. Both Houses of parliament will elect Somalia’s next President in polls due at the end January. 

The international community has called for the conclusion of the electoral process rapidly before the opening of the UN Security Council summit on Somalia that is scheduled kick start 19 January 2017.

GAROWEONLINE