Somaliland Upper House election procedure issued (Read in Full)

The Speaker of the Upper House Abdi Hashi Abdullahi and the Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled have today issued the Electoral Procedures for the Upper House in Somaliland.

Read the procedure below in English;

Upper House Election Procedures for the Upper House(Somaliland)

The Speaker of the Upper House Hon Abdi Hashi Abdullahi and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia Hon Mahdi Mohamed Guled, considering the Federal Provisional Constitution, the 2016 Indirect Election of Upper House seats from Somaliland as a basis for the Upper House seats process and agreements National Dialogue Forum 17 September 2020, 27 May 2021 and 22 August 2021.

Bearing in mind the importance of holding free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with the above laws, agreements and procedures. They issued the procedure for electing the Upper House seats in the Parliament of the Northern Regions (Somaliland) to the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Article 1:

Requirements for the Upper House Candidate In accordance with Article 58 of the Federal Provisional Constitution, running for the Parliament:

1. He/She must be a citizen of the Federal Republic of Somalia, originally from Somaliland, and not less than 25 years old at the time of the election.

2. He/She must not have had his citizenship suspended by a court of law within the last 5 years or has not been convicted by a court of law in the last 5 years;

3. Must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent experience confirmed,

4. Be known for good manners and integrity.

5. The candidate running for the Federal Upper House must be from the state in which he or she is running in accordance with the 2016 Upper House election process.

6. Candidates who are not members of the Council of Ministers and Members of both Houses must submit a letter of innocence from the Somali Police Criminal Investigation Department.

7. The candidate must pay the candidacy fee set out in the Forum Agreement of 22 August 2021.

Article 2: Electoral Process

1. The Speaker of the Upper House and the Deputy Prime Minister shall jointly publish the list of candidates for the 11 seats in the Upper House of Parliament from the Northern Regions (Somaliland). They (shall) submit the list to the Somaliland Electoral Commission (SEIT) to determine the timing of the election. The polling station for the Upper House of Parliament from the Northern Provinces will be the Air Force Hanger of Afisiyooni, Mogadishu.

2. A 46-member delegation from the 23 signatories (Traditional Elders) and 23 members selected by the signatories shall elect the members of the Upper House.

3. Voting shall be by secret ballot and shall be administered by the Somaliland Electoral Commission (SEIT) under the supervision of the Federal Electoral Implementation Commission (FEIT) and the Disputes Commission.

4. If there are more than two candidates running for the seat, the candidate who receives 2/3 of the votes cast by the delegates will win, otherwise the second to third round can be won.

5. The seat contested by two candidates shall be won by a simple majority (50% + 1) of the votes of the delegates voting.

6. If a candidate is running for a seat, he / she shall be elected by show of hands, and the candidate shall win by a simple majority of the delegates’ votes (50% + 1).

Article 3: General principles

1. Candidates for the Federal Upper House who hold public office (who do not have outgoing National Assembly members) or public servants shall submit their resignations to the Electoral Commissions (SEIT and FEIT) 7 days before election day.

2. A candidate running for the Upper House shall not run for the House of the People again.

To prevent the delegates who are choosing their representatives in parliament from bribery, corruption and favoritism, (and to) enforce the country’s anti-corruption laws, it is illegal for traditional elders, electoral commissions, the selection committee, the electorate and candidates to participates in all forms of bribery and corruption.

4. Whoever is arrested or convicted of accepting any form of bribery, corruption or nepotism shall commit a criminal offense, and shall be suspended from the electoral process by the Somaliland Electoral Commission and shall be referred to the judiciary.

Hon. Mahdi Mohamed Guled (Khadar)
Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia

Hon. Senator Abdi Hashi Abdullahi
Speaker of the Upper House of the Federal Republic of Somalia