Hargeisa (SD) – Somaliland Electoral Commission Chairman Abdirashid Riyorac and Somaliland Minister of Interior Mohamed Kahin announced that the elections in Somaliland ended peacefully.

Officials say election law allows those in line to be allowed to vote.

More than 1 million people have registered to vote. The Electoral Commission said there were more than 2,700 polling stations.

Party officials and the president of Somaliland cast their ballots this morning, as long queues of people at polling stations to cast their ballots.

Voting took place in Somaliland on Monday as people elected peacefully members of parliament and local councils.

The House of Representatives has 82 members, but there were 246 candidates to chose from. This is the second parliamentary election since 2005.

In a parliament with only one woman serving, rights activists want more women elected today from the 13 women candidates currently running for parliament.

Somaliland Rights advocates are also campaigning for representatives from minority communities.

103 International observers from Europe and Africa are in the country, including former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma and Uganda’s presidential candidate DR. Kizza Besigye.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 although it has not yet received international recognition. This election comes 20 years after Somaliland adopted a multi-party system.