HARGEISA (SD) – Somaliland’s opposition party, Waddani has urged its members to join hands in the efforts to chart out scheme to receive a significant number of seats in parliament ahead of the long-waited parliamentary elections.

Addressing some of the party’s members, Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan, the leader of Waddani Party affirmed that the party has been working on plans to get about 60 seats in the next House of Representatives.

“I am working to get my party to have 60 members in the House of Representatives, and it is possible, we can have the highest number of members in the House,” he said.

The leaders did not specify how the party would get the aforementioned number of seats in the upcoming parliament.

The House of Representatives which is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Somaliland was formed in 1991, with the House of Elders being the upper house.

Last month, Kulmiye, UCID and Wadani parties had submitted names of their candidates for the upcoming local and parliamentary elections.

Somaliland is expected to hold its parliamentary and local district elections May 31, 2021 after they (elections) were delayed several times.

The last parliamentary election was held in 2005.  

Located in the north of what used to be Somalia, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in May 1991 but has since not garnered internal support for recognition.