HARGEISA (SD) – Somaliland parliament has today elected Mr. Abdirisak Khalif as its new speaker barely two months after the state held its parliamentary and council elections.

Mr. Khalif who is from Waddani, a political party has defeated Yasin Faraton from the ruling party, Kulmiye by 42 to 39 votes.

Today’s electoral process was chaired by Somaliland’s Chairman of Supreme Court Adam Haji Ali after the oldest MP Yassin Haji Mohamoud declared his candidacy of the speaker of the House of the Representative.

Mr. Khalif served in several ministerial portfolios during Ahmed Silanyo’s presidency. The new speaker previously headed the ministries of Commerce and Works before joining the opposition party, Waddani 2015.

Mr. Khalif has been deputizing Abdirahman Abdullahi Irro, the chairperson of the parson. During May parliamentary elections, Mr. Khalif was one of the opposition MPs elected from Sool region.

Somaliland had declared secession from the rest of Somalia in 1990s after the later was accused of staging massacre in the northern region.

Despite holding democratic elections and succeeding to restore peace in its regions, Somaliland failed to secure recognition from international community.

Stakeholders from both southern Somalia and Somaliland had severally met to iron out the decades long difference to determine the fate of the northerners but side failed to reached lasting solution.