Somalia - September 2022

The Somaliland National Electoral Commission (SLNEC) announced on 24 September that the self-governing region’s presidential election, scheduled for 13 November 2022, was to be postponed to July 2023 due to time, financial and technical constraints. This pushes the election date beyond the end of President Muse Bihi Abdi’s current term, which expires in December 2022. The postponement comes shortly after deadly protests last month broke out over opposition suspicions that President Abdi intended to delay the presidential election - both the government and opposition regard the electoral calendar as critical to their political fortunes. Election delays are a feature of Somaliland politics but the political tensions building around the election date have led commentators to warn of the destabilizing potential of this delay.  

Sources: Reuters, Horn Diplomat, Crisis Group, Twitter (1), Twitter (2), Twitter (3)