Puntland’s experimental local council elections in October 2021 were lauded successful in terms of decentralization of authority and democratization at the state level. Led by successive political leaders and a host of other stakeholders and actors in Somalia’s oldest federal member state, the election culminated to what observers described as a political progress in-the-making.
The one-person, one-vote elections held in Qardho, Eyl and Ufeyn districts were a move away from the 25-year-old indirect electoral process – where traditional clan elders appoint the region’s 66-member assembly – and were seen as free and fair which should reassure those weary of previous government manipulation or the outright hijacking of electoral processes.
In this episode of the Heritage Podcast, our host Hussein Mohamed sits down with Abdirizak Muhumad, Senior researcher and author of “Puntland’s Local Election: A Transition To Social Contract,” and discusses the key takeaways from the latest Heritage Study on Puntland Local Election.
Host/Produced: Hussein Mohamed