Somaliland’s Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia has called his country the “pioneer of democracy” in the Horn of Africa region.
Deputy Ambassador Barkhad M. Kaariye made these comments on November 7 as Somaliland prepares for elections.
He said this immediately after the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (SLNEC) announced the official schedule for the voter registration exercise.
Kaariye urged the people of Somaliland to prepare to “exercise their political rights.”
SLNEC announced that the voter registration exercise kicks off on November 29, 2020 to January 13, 2021.
Somaliland first practiced democracy in 1960 when it earned its independence.
However, it was unable to practice it further when it joined Somalia.
Nevertheless, the country resumed its preference for democracy in 1993, two years after breaking away from Somalia in 1991.