International partners discuss holding of direct local elections in Puntland
The holding of direct local elections was the focus of a visit today by representatives from some of Somalia’s main international partners to the country’s northern Federal Member State (FMS) of Puntland.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, said that the meeting was successful.
“We exchanged ideas and had a fruitful discussion on how best to advance Puntland’s ambition to organise direct local elections in the first half of 2023,” Swan said.
“Several of Somalia’s international partners have been providing substantial capacity-building and financial support to this effort. The United Nations has also been providing technical support to the TPEC [Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission],” he added.
The UN official, Puntland’s President Said Abdullahi Deni and members of the visiting delegation and the FMS leader’s cabinet and advisory team also took part in a roundtable discussion on direct elections with the participation of other stakeholders including TPEC.
In his remarks, the UN Special Representative praised the government and people of Puntland for their continued commitment to deliver direct local elections, as enshrined in Puntland’s Constitution, and the importance of the inclusion of all members of society.
“We urge that the electoral process advance on the basis of broad consultation, as well as inclusion of women, youth, minorities, and people with disabilities,” Swan said.
He also spoke of what the elections could mean for the rest of the country.
“We hope that Puntland’s efforts can also inspire the broader process of ‘one-person-one-vote’ elections across Somalia, at the federal and the member state levels,” Swan said.
With the elections in Puntland taking place in the conditions of a drought affecting much of Somalia, the UN official assured the people and leadership of Puntland of continued support from the international community.
“Somalia’s international partners will continue to advocate for the mobilization of more resources to respond to the drought, even as the electoral process in Puntland moves forward,” Swan said.
The visiting delegation consisted of the Acting Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of the African Union Transition Mission to Somalia, Fiona Lortan; the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Somalia, Kate Foster; Sweden’s Ambassador to Somalia, Per Lindgarde; the US Ambassador to Somalia, Larry Andre; the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Head of Mission in Somalia, Abdi Ibrahim; Norway’s Chargé d’affaires in Somalia, Haakon Svane; and the European Union Delegation to Somalia’s Team Leader, Jens Hoegel.
