Residents in Somalia's semi-autonomous
state of Puntland cast votes in local elections on Thursday, despite an
opposition boycott that led to security incidents in the days before the polls.
A VOA journalist reported seeing long
lines of voters at polling stations in 30 districts.
In Bosaso, the largest town and the
commercial hub of the region, some voters were in line as long as two hours
before polling stations opened at 7 a.m.
Mohamed Abdullahi Qurshe, the electoral
chairman of Bari region, said the polling stations closed at 6 p.m.
"The elections were conducted in a
peaceful and democratic manner," said Qurshe. "The vote counting
begins immediately after the polls close."
Among those voting was 64-year-old
first-time voter Sirad Ahmed.
"I think it was my lucky day, and I
am very delighted to vote in this age and chose the candidate I want freely and
democratically," she told VOA. "I'm very happy."
Speaking to local reporters in Bosaso,
Puntland Interior Minister Abdi Farah Juha said the region has made history.
"Puntland had achieved a significant
historic victory, with 30 districts holding peaceful elections," Juha
said. "This is not a victory for Puntland alone, but a victory for whole
Somalia and the democratic world."
One person, one vote
Thursday's Puntland polls are the first
one-person, one-vote elections to be held in more than half a century in the
conflict-ridden, fragile Horn of Africa nation, excluding the unrecognized
breakaway region of Somaliland, which considers itself as an independent
republic.
The country's international partners,
including the United Nations, European Union and the International Authority on
Development also have hailed the district council elections as historic.
"The partners believe that
Puntland's experience with direct elections has the potential to inform and
inspire the expansion of democracy across Somalia, at all levels of
government," they said in a statement ahead of the vote.
The Puntland local elections were held
ahead of a regional parliamentary poll set for January.
Opposition boycott
According to election authorities, nearly
400,000 people had registered to vote, and a total of 3,775 candidates
representing seven political parties, including the ruling Kaah party, were on
the ballot Thursday.
Some powerful politicians and members of
the Puntland opposition groups in Nugal region in Puntland had boycotted
Thursday's polling, forcing the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission to
postpone polls in three of the region's 33 districts, including the state
provincial capital, Garowe.
A day before the elections, members of
the Puntland forces loyal to the opposition leaders confiscated ballot boxes
and other election materials from six polling stations in three districts and
burned them to prevent the voting.
A statement from the opposition
politicians said they were not against a democratic election but described the
process as illegal and manipulated by state President Said Abdullahi Deni.
Deni's term is set to end in January, and
the opposition has warned he may try to change Puntland's constitution to
extend his mandate.
Deni has accused the leaders of the
central government in Mogadishu of intervening in their democratic process, an
accusation repeatedly denied by Mogadishu.
Struggles
Somalia has been struggling for many
years to stand on its legs again after more than three decades of conflict and
lawlessness, deadly terrorism, piracy and natural disasters including a
punishing drought that has driven the poor, aid-dependent nation to the brink
of famine.
Puntland, an arid region in the
northeastern tip of Somalia, declared autonomy in 1998, and relations with the
central government in Mogadishu have often been tense.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud,
who was elected by lawmakers a year ago, announced in March that the next
national elections would be by universal suffrage.
Currently, voting follows a complex
indirect model where state legislatures and clan delegates pick lawmakers for
the national parliament, who in turn choose the president.
Faadumo Yaasiin contributed to this
report. Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse.
VOA
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