Hargeisa (SD) – Somalilanders officially went to the polls this morning, casting their votes in Local and Parliamentary elections.

Voters line up to cast their ballots, with some arriving at polling stations late last night to cast their ballots early.

According to the Somaliland Electoral Commission, more than 1 million people will go to the polls today in 2709 polling stations across Somaliland.

Somaliland’s political parties Kulmiye, Waddani and UCID are vying for the Local and Parliamentary seats.

Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi, Waddani and UCID leaders all voted at the Somaliland labor union headquarters in Hargeisa, and called on the public to vote peacefully, saying the world is watching Somaliland’s elections.

Every voter could vote for two candidates, each a nominee for the local council and the House of Representatives in Somaliland.

Somaliland has announced that the election will cost $ 25 million, with 80% to be provided by the Somaliland government, while the remaining 20% will be provided by the European Union and the Taiwan.

Security at polling stations has been tightened, and more security forces have been deployed, while also helping to process the voting public.

The simultaneous elections of local and parliamentary elections will be the first of their kind in Somaliland, with each election previously held on its own.

Somaliland’s elections are being monitored by various observers, mostly from Central and West Africa, to monitor Somaliland’s elections.

Somaliland has been making progress on security and elections since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, making this their seventh multiparty elections.