Somaliland's President Bihi Commits to Concede If Defeated in Election

HARGEISA, Somalia - Long queues were witnessed in several polling stations across the breakaway region of Somaliland, with over 1 million voters lining up to elect their leader, in a contest that could potentially be won down on the wire given the closeness it has attracted.

Ruling Kulmiye party candidate Muse Bihi and his closest challenger Abdirahman Irro cast their votes on Wednesday morning, both exuding confidence that they would be ultimate winners once the electoral commission releases results.

But Bihi, who has been in charge of the region since 2017, said he would accept the outcome of the elections whether he loses or wins the tough contest. To him, what matters is the unity of the Somaliland region, which is facing a myriad of challenges.

"It will accept the results of the commission." President Bihi said in an interview with the media shortly after he cast his vote, adding that voters should exercise restraint and peace for the sake of peace and harmony.

Bihi added: "Our democracy is showing maturity and we must respect the outcome. This is the first time we are holding direct elections and this alone is a big achievement regardless of who wins the contest."

Irro, whose Waddani party managed to secure a parliamentary majority in 2021— won 31 seats of the 82, said he was ready to make history by winning the popular votes. In 2021, the Kulmiye party managed 30 seats while the remaining 21 were taken by UCID of Faisal Warabe, another presidential candidate.

The elections come at a time when Somaliland is at the epicenter of the conflict in the Horn of Africa, having signed an 'illegal' agreement on access to the Red Sea with Ethiopia. In exchange for recognition of the region, Ethiopia would take 20 kilometers of the Red Sea for the construction of a military base and port.

But the agreement irked Somalia, which accuses Ethiopia of infringement of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, leading to the current standoff. Turkey's mediation efforts have failed, with Somalia insisting that 'we can only discuss it if the agreement is revoked'.

In an interview with Addis Standard, Irro—the popular opposition figure—said his party will take a formal position on the agreement once it gets access to the document. However, he said that should he win, Somaliland would be glad to partner with Ethiopia on expanding and fully utilizing the Berbera port.

GAROWE ONLINE