Khadarow faanka iyo baal xooftada habraha looma dan galo. haddii kale inta aad dhab moodo ayaad dharbaaxi, deetana abti maxaad ii dishay baa xigi. marka weligaa u tur gibinada ilma bucur bacayr.

Ownership gives rise to legitimacy. Possession on the other hand is akin to occupation. Not that I expect you to understand that.

There is something called legitimacy which your so-called gov't lacks in LA. I guess you did not attend that lesson in civic eduation.

Bani-aadamku haddaanay gar naqsiga aqoon waa ibtilo. For 20 years, the secessionists had been on the bandwagon of wanting a separate country from Somalia on the grounds of self-determination and free will. When the unionists argue against their wishes they cry foul. But then they so shamelessly adopt the same line of reasoning that the unionists use against them when it comes to Awdal, Khatumo and Makhir. Priceless.

A joint statement by Puntland political associations about the current democratization process. These desired changes will completely alter among others the following: 1) Article 3, section 1; that every voter must hold an ID card which defines that s/he is a citizen of Puntland State of Somalia i.e. there will be no conditions restricting the status of each voting individual in Puntland 2) Article 4, section 1; that each holder of a Puntlander ID card has a right to vote in the nearest place to her/him during the voting day if s/he has already included in the voters registration list. [...] Opposing that, we propose the following as a basis for lasting solution to the local election crises in Puntland: 1. That the government must combine its maximum effort together with attracting donor support in order of speeding the voter registration system and distribution of Puntland IDs , since the obligation of the government had not been fully geared in the last eight months in order of realizing this target. 2. That all political associations, PTEC and Puntland government must come together in a meeting to look for common understanding on outstanding issues and resolve this matter in a way that serves the interest of our people. 3. That since the electoral commission has not exercised any neutrality on the disputed points over the past few months; an alternative option to form another new commission is of high priority to most of our political associations. 4. That local municipal election must be delayed until the government ensures that ID system got firmly in place and voter registration list established. This will take a maximum of four months after discussing it with local ID professional companies. 5. That a constitutional court ought to be established before the election date to arbiter any disputes that arises during voting days. 6. In case that local municipality elections failed to organize as per the plan outlined in PTEC road map due to lack of voter registration data base, we propose a two year transitional government that takes over authority starting from the end of this year. The main mandate of this new caretaker government is to focus the completion of the democratization process which is already underway in Puntland in a span of not more than two year’s period.

On The Political Stagnation of Puntland The latest political announcements (press statement) by Puntland political parties and their petition to Puntland State President, the Electoral Commission and to some members of the international community under the heading: Resolving Local Municipality Elections Stalemate, issued in Garowe, March 21, 25, 2013, indicate either the non-existence of mutual dialogue or break-down of political discourse within the State on the best way forward for holding local government elections. A number of political parties including UDAD, Midnimo, PDP and Wadajir seem to have forged an association to challenge the Government on its latest reform proposals and planned changes in Voter IDs registration. Among other things, these new political parties demand the immediate delay of Municipal Elections in Puntland until adequate preparations are done to insure fair public participation and a new independent Electoral commission installed. As a neutral person on the current disagreements, “stalemate” as they put it, I think it is not appropriate for me to comment on these specific documents and respective political statements surrounding these issues, despite repeated requests by members of the Puntland public to do so. Discussing democratization process in Puntland State, however, gives me a great deal of pleasure. But, it is long overdue. It is unfortunate that Puntland State has not come out of age yet and still in the woods. In other words, Puntland has been heavily suffering far too long from political stagnation since its foundation in August 1998. Democratization in the State has never been in the good books of its successive leaders as it was never contemplated as political imperative or priority for the continued survival and sustainability of the regional administration against all imaginable upheavals of Somali clan politics and rocky relationships with the rest of Somalia. It is extremely important to note here that rushing things of such importance and magnitude is not wise for it creates more problems and serious fatal errors in hasty fashion to feel and look good in the eyes of foreign donor community. The fate of the State hangs on it and nobody has the right to gamble at the expense of nation’s existence, public safety and regional political stability. It requires tremendous efforts, resources, thorough preparatory work and ample time to build political consensus and legal framework for the final implementation of the electoral process in fair and transparent manners. They said commonly, “A thousand-step journey starts with first one”. Leaders of Puntland State (authority and opposition) task and obligation to their people is to make sure that ‘One First Step” towards democratization must be moved straight forward towards the right direction. The alternative spells danger and political suicide for all concerned. Ismail Haji Warsame WardheerNews Contributor E-mail: ismailwarsame@gmail.com Twitter: @ismailwarsame Blog: Ismail Warsame

Puntland Parliament temporarily endorsed constituent’s election of councils. Garowe (RBC News) Puntland state legislators have an extraordinary convention that about altering the state’s constitution specially the election of councils issues.The Parliament speaker of Puntland Abdulrashid Mohamed Hersi told to the press that they transitionally approved after modifying the election concerned section of the puntland constitution.The amended statutes are not the interest of special group, the MPs are the representative of the puntland populace and they serve for the public interest. Puntland’s parliament Speaker Mr. Abdurashid said to the media. The speaker added that the temporary approved law is aimed to smooth the democratization process of Puntland. The Speaker was asked the reason not to have considered the special request of the Political parties, he said to have flowed the majority vote and the parliament approved the preponderance vote which was to the constitution to be altered. The Speaker noted that the government is engaged to establish constitutional court which as solution for the power holding gov’t and the political parties as he appealed that puntland is not worth to be opposed at this democratization period. The constitution issues about the election have been storming issues and the election time has not been postponed. RBC News

Discussion between the ruling party and the opposition. Puntland political parties sign election code of conduct Six political parties seeking registration in Puntland on Thursday (January 31st) signed a joint code of conduct to manage the electoral process, Somalia's Garowe Online reported. Signed at an event organised by the Puntland Election Commission, the code of conduct outlines appropriate election behaviour, including prohibiting the use of government funds by political parties, banning party supporters from carrying or displaying weapons, and setting a deadline of February 10th for the parties to fulfil all requirements to finish their registration as official political parties. The Puntland Election Commission in September approved the registration of opposition parties for the first time in the region. Local elections in Puntland are scheduled to take place in May. sabahionline.com

Always confirm and seek the truth.

So reer Marqaan have not given up the Dheelalow yet. I never understood their warped logic. Always claiming other people.

Dabrow, May be so ONLY if one is wet behind the ears or green with envy, but NOT if one has ears and feet on the ground. if you know what I mean. I am too old to fall victim to misinformation.

Xin, Yes and it seems the other half of reer Gedo are joining the camp.

Dabrow, I wish I had the temerity like some to make things up. I only shared a piece of info I obtained.

I understand he has been interrogated for a few hours and then released under the aegis of his elders. he said he was only in Kismyo to visit his family.

Sensei, From what I hear Faroole might not seek a second term but is grooming his successor as he does not want to let go of the reins.

I would agree Midnimo is the real challenger. Mintid Farayar;943028 wrote: Thus far, the Bari-based Midnimo seems the only serious challenger to Faroole's Horseed party. Not so fast. May be you have been peddling the same clay for so long your point of reference is flawed. Nigeria and El Salvador were the first two countries to have tried the system later applied to SL, and is now applied to PL, and will be applied to Somalia. And there dies your misinformed spill. What do they all have in common? Interpeace and all are foreign-financed. For my SL brothers, the whole exercise is a 'copy' of the SL experience. The PL Election Commission with the help of the Western donors took the SL blueprint and applied it to the letter in PL.

Reer Mudug are represented and will rise when the time comes.

HORCAD leadership.

Horseed facebook Midnimo - http://midnimoparty.com Udad - http://udadpuntland.com

None is.

Potential challenges ahead.

Midnimo Chairman, Dr. Saadiq Eenow's profile. Midnimo Chairman, Dr. Saadiq Eenow - speech at the party's launching event.

Puntland: Setting the Scene for the Upcoming Elections 06 November 2012 - As part of Puntland’s preparations for the upcoming local elections, a team from our local partner, the Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC), accompanied the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC) on a tour to raise awareness of the democratization process. A civic education campaign The wider awareness-raising campaign took place in almost all regions and districts of Puntland, with PDRC participation in four districts; Eyl, Godob-Jiran, Burtinle and Galdogob. The campaign was designed to inform people in Puntland about the local elections and the new governance system that is going to replace the traditional clan-based political system. In order to disseminate these messages as widely as possible, TPEC teamed up with PDRC’s mobile Audio-Visual Unit. PDRC’s films and video clips are an efficient and powerful tool that resonates well with a large number of people in Puntland. A key advantage of films over written materials is that they are more widely accessible - for example even to those who are illiterate. The films shown focused on the political history of the Somali Region, the political transition and the electoral process in general. A mandate to inform and document Researchers from the mobile Audio-Visual Unit followed the Electoral Commissioners on their mission across different districts. The PDRC team assisted the Commissioners with organizing film screenings and forums in remote areas of Puntland to educate the local population and nomadic communities about the democratization process. They also documented the process as Commissioners assessed the population size and laid the groundwork for the elections. A challenging mission A challenge our researchers faced was that many of the audiences in remote villages had not been exposed to democratic norms and principles. Negative interpretations of democracy were prevalent among a large number of participants before the PDRC team was able to engage with the population. A feeling of marginalization runs deep among nomadic and rural communities visited. One participant explained: “We typically assume that the government and the local administration do not operate beyond the paved roads.” Distrust in government institutions and the multi-party system cannot be erased overnight, but the outreach of the PDRC team and TPEC has made steps in this direction. During the discussions and over the course of the workshops some participants changed their minds, feeling that the new governance system could present them with an opportunity to participate and help them to resolve their problems. As one of the participants put it: “It seems a big light is about to shine upon us. If the new multi-party electoral system is intended to erase the previous crippling political structure, then that is the light. Then we fully pledge our support for this new system – we’ll even campaign for it and participate in the elections.” According to another participant, "this process is paving the way for giving the victory to the winner and satisfaction for the loser by not compromising the courage of the voters." More than 1,250 people reached in Puntland Over the course of the campaign, the team’s activities were attended by more than 1,250 participants with a special focus on youth, women and elders. Many more people were reached through live radio broadcasts of the educational events.

PUNSAA Observation Study on Somaliland Local Councils Election in Nov 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The four electioneering weeks was characterized by a competitive and largely peaceful situation. The process run smoothly and was managed transparently. All the political association and parties had an equal chance to demonstrate and there was absolute freedom of assembly, expression, and movement during the campaign allocated time, political association, supporters’ leadership and candidates were generally respecting one another to campaign peacefully without any restrictions and interference. Ethics committee and some political association leaders accused the ruling party (Kulmiye) of being actively utilizing public property to its part campaign, no action was taken against the reported case. Although the pre-election and election process was transparent enough and NEC managed reasonably well during the process, there were irregularities appeared in the election day including weak voter safeguards – especially ink which was easily washable that facilitated multiple voting, extensive limited voter education that underscored voter confidentiality under-age voting estimate of 12 to 15 years old children are witnessed voting and unauthorized vehicles moving and transporting voters between Polling Stations. Non Somaliland citizen vote; Most of the Somali displaced residents and visitors voted the election. Unfixed polling station management procedures most of the polling station managers practiced inconsistent procedure to record pullet paper, register the voters, assisting voters when required and close the polling stations. The complete report

About Puntland.