Somaliland Houses Of Parliament Comdemn The Government’s Expulsion Of Donor Countries

Somaliland Houses Of Parliament Comdemn The Government's Expulsion Of Donor Countries

Hargeisa, Somaliland (SomalilandGlobe) The Somaliland's houses of Parliament, Congress and house of elders, have issued a statement today condemning the decision of the government to expel Interpeace, the agency that represents Western donor countries to Somaliland in Hargeisa.  The chair of the Guurti Mr Saleban Mohamud Aden and the chair of the Congress Mr Abdillahi Mohamed called the Somaliland government's action to expel Interpeace illegal and against the national security interests of Somaliland.

The leaders of the two houses have also called on the Somaliland National Election Commission (NEC) to reverse their decision to conduct the upcoming September Presidential election without the voter registration list produced by them and supported by the donor countries.  On the same day Interpeace was expelled from the country, the NEC announced that the upcoming September Presidential elections will be conducted without the voter list produced by SEC and supported and financed by Interpeace.

The European and Western donor countries that assist Somaliland with its democratisation process have provided more then eight million US Dollars for Somaliand's voter registration which concluded late last year.  The donor countries, which is represented in Somaliland, by an agency called Interpeace, were also contributing about four million US Dollars to Somaliland's democratisation process.

The government decision to expel Interpeace followed disagreements between Interpeace and SEC whereby Interpeace have accused the leadership of the SEC of corruption in relation to money it was entrusted with by the donor countries during the voter registration period.   Similarly, following the publication of the voter registration list, the ruling party of the current administration, UDUB, and the government rejected the outcome of the votere registration whereby both the opoposition parties UCID and Kulmiye have supported the position of the donor countries and accepted to part take the elections with the published voter registration list.

The leaders of Somaliland's Houses of Congress also called the government actions to be against the aspirations of the Somaliland people who are thankful to the donor countries for their financial, diplomatic and moral support with their democratisation process.  They stressed that this act on the part of the government will hurt Somaliland's image in the international community.

The administration of President Rayale has two weeks ago imprisoned two reporters of an independent Radio Station Horyaal.  Just few weeks later, the administration has also closed down an independent TV station the same day it expelled the donor agency from Somaliland.  Political observers in Somaliland believe that President Rayale is preparing the ground for elections that are free from international scrutiny in order to declare a quick victory.