In pre-election weeks, the population is eager to participate in electoral rallies. A feeling of excitement is present among the people of the small de facto state.
For many citizens, the national elections are more than a political event, the elections mark a step towards the recognition Somaliland has been fighting for over the past 30 years.
To give some background information, Somaliland has a population of around 6 million people, of which 80% are under the age of 40. Clearly visible in public spaces are crowds of young people, who celebrate their nations democracy and express their desire to become a sovereign state. In Somaliland, citizens down to the age of 15 can legally vote for the upcoming national elections and in 2024, 1.227.048 voters have been registered.
The political parties Kulmiye, Waddani, Ucid and Kaah are four of the seven parties, each running for presidency with their own candidate. Kulmiye has been governing the country for the past terms and currently, the polls indicate a close race between the Conservative Party Kulmiye and the liberal opposition party Waddani. Despite political differences, the desire for international recognition is at the top of both parties agendas.
In the days leading up to the election, my collegue Nasra Jama and I had exclusive access to follow the orange opposition party Waddani and their presidential candidate Abdirahman Cirro.
As Election Day approaches, Umalkhayr Mahamed Baruud is one of many young people using the moment to demand change. The 22-year-old journalist dreams of a Somaliland with fewer restrictions for those who are not in power.
With a goal to launch her own media platform, one that is independent and critical, Umalkhayr wants to give a voice to those who go unnoticed. Despite the constitution banning gender discrimination, women in Somaliland face deep inequality. According to a 2019 Oxfam report, women in Somaliland have less than half the opportunities than men do. And although women account for 51% of the population, and their voter turnout is high, political power remains in the hands of men: only one out of 164 MPs is a woman.
To help bridge the gender gap, Umalkhayr produces a podcast aimed at informing women of their rights and encouraging them to make their own choices. As a young female journalist, she fights for both professional and political acknowledgement in a country, where her future possibilities statistically are limited. The same country fighting for its own right to be internationally recognized as an independent state.
It is Wednesday early morning November 13th and across the country people line up before dawn to cast their votes. The queues stretch down city streets and village roads, as voters wait for their turn to participate in a system the international community has refused to acknowledge for almost 34 years. At the polling station at Hargeisa University, located in Somalilands capital, citizens have been queueing since 2AM in order to cast their vote for the country's fourth democratic presidential election.
One of those standing in line on this Wednesday morning in Hargeisa is Daud Ismail Nur: “It is a great day for us. Look around you, this is democracy,” he states, gesturing towards the many people who have shown up. “We can elect our president in a multi-party system, and the technology is even advanced.”
Somaliland is the first country in the world to use biometric iris recognition to register and verify voters as a central part of its electoral process. In a region of the world where elections are often affected by corruption and lack of transparency — and in a country where trust towards political institutions has been low — adopting iris recognition technology is a significant step. The technology, which we typically encounter in international airports like Heathrow in London, has been deployed to more than half of the country’s 2,648 polling stations in order to help prevent electoral fraud.
As the sun sets and the polling station at Hargeisa University nears closing time, Naima Farhan enters the room — the last voter of the day. She gets her eyes scanned, and the system confirms her identity within seconds. The biometric iris scanner works. Naima Farhan can now cast her vote and sign with her fingerprint. Hoping for a new direction, she chooses Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, also known as "Cirro," the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, Waddani.
Six days after Election Day, Somalilands national Electoral Commission announces the official election results: The opposition leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdulahi “Cirro” claims victory with 64% of the vote. Former president Muse Bihi Abdi only receives 35% of the votes.
The joy is omnipresent: While president elect Cirro celebrates the results with close officials and family in his home in Hargeisa, the streets outside erupt - car horns, music, and a sea of orange fluttering flags under the sky of Hargeisa.
A woman named Fadumo Abdi Ali bursts into something that could be mistaken for sobbing, but she is ecstatic about the election results. She falls on her knees, forehead against the concrete and thanks god in a prayer for the election turnout. Further down the road, a group of young men carry a boom box blasting rapper 50 Cent’s In Da Club. They are heading further down town, where the celebrations will take place. The men hug and kiss each other on the cheeks. “This is a big day for Somaliland. Today, we celebrate the future that lies ahead”, they exclaim.
As the day progresses, the celebrations in Hargeisa continue - young boys no taller than 4 foot jumping on cars and chanting “Aabo Cirro, Aabo Cirro” in Somali, meaning “Father, Cirro”.
For weeks life was on hold. The election consumed everything - conversations, streets, minds. Work was postponed, even weddings were set aside. Then the results came in, and Somaliland picked up where it left off. The joy of victory gently settles over Hargeisa. Gradually, the capital returns to its normal state, as many daily activities have been paused for the past month.
Only a week after Waddani’s Cirro claimed victory, everyday life resumes, and the hope for recognition remains just as present as before. On this Monday evening, the love between the young couple Ibraahim Xariir Axmed and Sumaya Raxman Muse is celebrated. The guests cheer and dance in honor of love that night, and between songs and drumbeats, a shared prayer is heard: A blessed marriage and praise be Somaliland.
