Introduction

Somaliland, having in 1991 decided unilaterally to end its commitment to a greater Somalia, determined in the late 1990s to embark on a process of democratisation. A referendum in 2001, local elections in 2002 and a presidential election in 2003 all contributed to this process although not without problems and some continuing tensions.

Somaliland held elections for its House of Representatives on 29th September 2005 after two postponements, from March to September and from 15th September. These parliamentary elections signify the last, most important phase of the immediate democratisation process. They present an opportunity to move away from the present clan-based, single party-dominated political structure which has little commitment to gender and other non-clan equities.

We recognise that these elections are linked to and occur within the context of the state of Somaliland’s long-standing desire for official international recognition. To present an opinion on this issue is beyond our remit as observers.

The elections went ahead as planned on the agreed date, despite a security scare a week before polling day when a group of alleged terrorists were detained by police after a gun battle in Hargeisa. Fortunately, no other serious incidents occurred during the mission and while security was commendably tight, it did not hinder the work of mission staff.

We would like to pay tribute to the estimated 800,000 Somaliland voters who, in some cases, queued for six hours in the heat to vote after hours spend walking to the polling station. We thank the NEC for constructive dialogue. We also wish to thank the international NGOs who willingly lent vehicles and radios without which our mission would not have been successful. Thanks also to the observers from other teams who cooperated with us and enriched the process.

None of the problems encountered seemed systematic or widespread, attributable rather to lack of experience. Nevertheless we hope that our recommendations will be taken seriously to avoid similar problems in the future. We have made recommendations to the National Electoral Commission of Somaliland (NEC), the international donor community, political parties and to Somaliland civil society.

Background to the international observation mission

On 11 July 2005, NEC invited CIIR/ICD to be the official NEC facilitators point for inviting and helping organise a team of international election observers (IEOs). The specific organisations within the IEO team retained their separate identities and capacity to issue their own assessment of the elections.

The entire team comprised 74 observers from four continents, including nationals of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, Philippines, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Finland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Not least, there were a number of Somalilanders from the diaspora as well as expatriate staff of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs).

Pre-electoral conditions

CIIR and others have been monitoring the electoral process since one of the joint coordinators made a visit in December 2004 (when the election was expected to be held in March 2005). The process gathered momentum from 15th September 2005 when a pre-election assessment team assembled and began to interview significant figures - NEC, their consultants, political parties, security forces, local NGOs, women’s groups, local analysts, and those monitoring the codes of conduct of political parties and media.

Briefly, our pre-election findings were that:

The campaigning had been peaceful, if a little disorganised, with some complaints that the rule that specified days when political parties were supposed to have campaigning to themselves had not been rigidly adhered to;

There were widespread allegations of government misuse of funds and broadcast airtime - some sufficiently believable to have led to official complaints from NEC and possibly some improvements in practice. On the other hand we were not presented with concrete evidence of some of the allegations;

There had been very little policy-related campaigning;

All parties had stressed the need for peace; and Of the total of 246 candidates, it was disappointing that only seven were female.

Our conclusion from the pre-election period was that despite some obvious problems of commission and omission, the conditions were such that a reasonably free and fair process was possible. We were also guided in this assessment by the fact that these were the first such elections in any part of Somalia/Somaliland for nearly forty years.

In the immediate pre-election period we were also pleased that the commitment of Somaliland’s government to the democratic process was demonstrated by the President, Vice-President and Foreign Minister hosting a meeting of all IEOs and answering their questions. We also had a constructive meeting with the House of Elders, the Guurti.

Proceedings on election day: Overview

Our observers were present in all six regions of Somaliland. Polling stations were visited twice on occasions.

In Awdal region we visited Borama, Baki and Dila. Twelve IEOs visited 65 out of 153 polling stations.

In Hargeisa region we visited Gabiley, Hargeisa city, Badli Gubadle and Salaxley. 29 IEOs visited 130 polling stations out of 337. The joint facilitators also toured the city especially if there were reports of bad practice etc. We also had an observer stationed at NEC.

In Saxil we visited Berbera and Sheikh. Six IEOs visited 31 out of 90 stations.

In Togdheer we visited Burco and Odweyne. 18 IEOs visited 95 out of 196 polling stations.

In Sool we visited Caynabo. Two IEOs visited 9 out of 59 polling stations.

In Sanaag, Erigavo and Garadag, seven IEOs visited 31 out of 150 polling stations,

We had stringent security measures in place and wish to thank Halo Trust for the provision of their radio room with which we maintained contact with the observers throughout. SPU (Special Protection Unit) forces accompanied all teams.

Observers were present from dawn on polling day and thus were present as polling stations set up and opened. Mostly, opening took place as agreed at 6am, with correct procedures followed. However, some stations did open late and some were delayed by a lack of electricity for lighting.

In the evening some stations did not shut down until 7.30pm as officials followed correct legal procedure in allowing those present in queues at 6pm to exercise their right to vote. However in other cases polling stations shut to voters at 6pm, despite the presence of queues.

In the district of Burco, rain delayed the delivery of materials and the start of polling at a number of stations, so officials allowed opening hours to extend to 7pm. However, not all affected stations took advantage of this extra period: this meant that in Odweyne 100 or so voters were unable to vote.

Ballot counting

In many cases this did not start until well after 6pm and went extremely slowly if transparently.

Declaration of results

Some IEO teams were able to observe the declaration of results of individual polling stations and to follow the process through to regional level.

Beyond polling day: The present situation

Some results have now been declared at regional level, but as we write a full official national result is not expected for up to two weeks after close of polls. Such a delay would be contrary to the stipulation under electoral law that final results should be announced within ten days (a condition NEC regarded as impossible to meet at the outset). This raises concerns over adherence to electoral law and the stability of the process. We thus feel the ten-day stipulation needs revisiting by the new parliament (along with a number of other electoral provisions). Hence, our assessment at this stage can only be a provisional one.

Inside the polling stations and counting stations

Conduct by polling station staff

This was largely exemplary, occasionally disorganised and only in one case in Hargeisa City was it seriously deficient. Observers were presented with allegations that polling staff in some stations had claimed the ultra-violet lamps used to check the invisible ink applied to voters were no longer working so they were unable to catch instances of multiple voting, and that other multiple voting attempts were ignored. No concrete evidence of these allegations was presented.

There were some angry scenes at NEC’s national headquarters late in the afternoon of polling day, when opposition parties complained that the extra ballot papers needed by some polling stations had not been made available. There does appear to have been some breakdown in communications between polling stations and district offices on this issue.

Conduct by party agents

We heard various allegations including claims that one opposition party agent had been bribed and was allowing many irregular procedures to be made in one Hargeisa station. A team visited the station in question, but found little evidence to back the claim, but much incompetent practice.

Conduct by police

Mostly police stayed outside the stations as they were required under law to do (unless specifically called in by chairmen of polling stations). We did hear of a station where staff left for lunch and a policeman helped out with the registration process - certainly not a procedure that adhered to electoral law, but perhaps typical of the relaxed attitude of Somalilanders to regulations. Late in the afternoon at a number of stations in Hargeisa, police appeared overwhelmed on occasion by the numbers of potential voters.

Outside polling stations: Wider questions

Intimidation/seeking unfair advantage by one party?

There were allegations in Hargeisa that some candidates were attempting to hold meetings outside polling stations and to transport or guide voters to take them to less crowded stations, thus implying instances of attempted multiple voting. When we visited it seemed the situation had been resolved. There are several reports, especially in rural areas and away from tarmac roads of lorries, some with party insignia, ferrying voters from station to station, also implying multiple voting efforts - to what degree of success is unknown.

Intimidation by government agents/military

In Hargeisa there were allegations of intimidation and prioritising supporters of the ruling UDUB party, but we found no hard evidence of this. We found the SPUs accompanying the teams of observers to be very professional and commend their work.

Our preliminary findings

There were some incidents involving violence - one of which in Burco the day before polling involved loss of human life. This was an internal party dispute over the allocation of fuel to candidates. However other incidents appear to have often been due to inexperience. Other problems related to the complicated and cumbersome ballot paper. This was in certain instances compounded by lengthy procedures for a largely illiterate population in a situation where there was no census and therefore no registration process. It must be said that checks on those who voted were varied and we observed persons who appeared younger than 16 apparently able to vote.

Equally we saw police action to detain those who attempted to vote more than once - which seemed to suggest the system of fluorescent light checking was mostly working (and also suggests over-enthusiasm on the part of some political party supporters or possibly those seeking to illegally increase their clan representation). The question of appropriate enforcement for what often appeared to be a game for young women and men is one that needs to be pursued. Observers in Hargeisa were present when police arrested two young women and took them to the police station. Some of those arrested were released in mid-afternoon - whether they tried to reoffend is not known. Observers in certain places noted that such offenders had their shoes and belts removed and were made to sit outside or in a group - as a sign of community disapproval.

In hot weather tempers did get raised on occasion, although the day was largely marked by enthusiasm and tolerance. On some occasions those who had not in fact voted were deemed by the inexperienced staff to have done so - perhaps due to the ink being passed from person to person inadvertently. On occasion in Hargeisa NEC staff were called in to arbitrate.

Queues were very long, especially in the morning and latter part of the afternoon; in Hargeisa, the majority of voters appeared to be mostly women and young people, while elsewhere it appeared queues were evenly split between male and female.

In some parts of Togdheer, heavy rain impeded both the conduct of the poll and our ability to observe as many polling stations as we would have wished.

There were some polling stations, especially in Hargeisa, where law and order on occasion appeared to be on the point of breaking down. The deployment of additional security staff seemed to calm the situation. In one station NEC replaced the chairman where inefficiency and various allegations appeared to be causing problems.

Positives

- Rural and many urban stations had calm annd organised queues
- Huge voter turnout, with enthusiastic participation
- No or very little intimidation of voters
- The counting process was transparent and meticulous in most places, with few discrepancies
- Widespread recognition of the value of the elections and the democratisation process
- Voters mainly understood the ballot paper and could identify the candidate of their choice
- A substantial number of women participated as polling station staff, domestic observers and party agents
- Many of those attempting to multiple vote were turned away
- Widespread commitment to abide by Electoral Law by voters and staff
- Party agents were good at following the process and represented all parties at each station - usually with two people per party
- Illiterate, remote nomadic and elderly voters were prioritised and assisted to vote in a transparent and well intentioned way
- Good distribution of ballot materials and procedures
- In the majority of cases the equipment and materials functioned well
- Most polling stations opened on time, or thereabouts
- Equal access to polling stations was allowed to both men and women
- No weapons policy was adhered to
- Good voter registration
- Mostly secret voting (except those that needed assistance)
- Generally good organisation by local NEC offices, including supply of extra ballot papers on demand
- Security for IEOs well organised
- Well trained chairmen and polling station staff in most cases
- Awareness and support of women candidates, in principle

Negatives

- Lack of female candidates
- Attempts of voter fraud
- Inadequate number of polling stations overall and on occasion too small
- Lack of census/voter register had implications for voter identification
- Secrecy of the vote was compromised in many cases due to illiteracy or lack of voter confidence, particularly of women
- Some instances of organised transport by political parties were reported
- Some rural polling stations lacked local observers and/or effective staff training
- Provision of adequate lighting in some polling stations
- Big trucks ferrying voters to polling stations-attempts of multiple voting
- Red pens not distributed to all polling stations (Sheik district)
- Inadequate training for polling staff to effectively do the vote counting
- Reported cases of ultra-violet light not working at some polling stations
- Lack of clarity about opening and closing times for polling stations, particularly on the issue of queues after 6pm
- Fatigue of all staff, in particular the polling station chairman, due to pressure of logistical issues, long working hours and large number of responsibilities
- Reported cases of voters from across national borders
- Reported cases of observer teams and members of the SPU causing disruption
- Reported cases of party agents doing the duties of polling station staff
- Poor usage of ink or wrong ink used at some polling stations because of lack of effective training on how to use the invisible ink or decant it effectively
- Transference of ink between voters potentially prevented legitimate voting attempts in some cases
- Some polling stations were too small for effective voting process, were not in neutral locations and/ or lacked security in rural areas
- Campaign materials were evident near the polling station in a minority of cases
- Lack of familiarisation of polling stations by party agents - reported by an observer and NEC HQ
- Communication problems between all levels of election administration on polling day and beforehand
- In a minority of cases, queues were disorderly
- Women often received less voter education than men, especially in rural areas

Recommendations

To the NEC

Main points

- Need for greater civic education and pollling staff/candidate training on all aspects of voting process.
-Need to begin preparations for future elections earlier including funding
-Need to take message back to donor/international community that without their support and commitment Phase Two of the democratisation process is unlikely to happen.
-There is an urgent need for a voter registration and national census which will help resolve many difficulties.
-Need for a permanent electoral commission with a dedicated section dealing with domestic and international observers.
-Urgent attempts to ensure that more women to be involved in the election as a whole.
-Improve campaign chances of women by affirmative action, including concrete examples, such as provision of vehicles for women candidates.
-Investigate how quota systems for women (and minorities) have worked elsewhere e.g. Uganda.
-Strict adherence to electoral law and code of conduct would expedite the elections.
-Increase number of polling stations and improve accessibility in rural areas.

Identification and multiple voting:

- Ideally, full voter registration should take place, and voters be issued with ID cards
-Review options for marking fingers and ballot paper; the use of invisible ink appeared to work technically, but it was not obvious to voters, especially young adventurous ones that there was any marking - hence attempts at voting again were perhaps motivated by curiosity about the system of marking
-Showing voters the ink under the light on arrival, to discourage those who are attempting to double vote because of the novelty of invisible ink
-Standardising the inking procedure, with specific instructions on where to apply ink, and applying ink on the way in to the polling station to give time for the ink to dry
-Consistent and stricter sanctions on those attempting to vote more than once, such as detention, and perhaps sanctioning parties as well as individuals
-Notices to be posted about these penalties in polling stations to deter parties/ would-be multiple voters
-NEC to transmit messages about the consequences of multiple voting throughout its campaign.

Staffing:

- More gender balance of polling station chhairpersons
-Chair over burdened; she/he should take a coordinating role only
-Second person other than chair to assist illiterate people in marking ballots
-Consider reducing party agents to one per party at one time - some polling stations were very small and overcrowded.
-Review criteria for selecting polling stations
-Consider having a day and a night shift for all staff, or other measures to reduce fatigue
-Ensure food and drinks available for polling station staff
-Examine options in relation to qat chewing in polling stations which can be intimidating and not helpful for performance of duties

Polling station logistics

- Need for more appropriate buildings for ppolling stations, especially in terms of size and lighting; voting could take place outside in rural areas - although we recognise on this occasion that it was the rainy season
-Two doors on polling stations, where feasible
-Need for increased supplies of pens with larger tips and lighting equipment; also a magnifying glass for each polling station
-Pens should be fastened to the table in the voting booth
-Black felt tip pens more useful than red especially when some regional ballot papers were pink
-Two voting booths to be in place, as per electoral law
-Ballot papers should be reduced in size
-Replace serial numbers on ballot papers with random numbers or bar codes, to avoid possibility of tracing voters through register - we recognise that there are resource questions and there are not scanners in Somaliland at present.
-Ideally, we would recommend that ballot bags should not be used again.
-If this does not happen, ballot bags should be bigger, frames should be provided and they should always be centrally located in the line of sight of observers
-The seals for the ballot bags should be distinguished by different colours
-Voter turnout in this election should be the basis for distribution of ballot papers in the next election if there has not been a census and registration process.
-Increase efforts to have more ballot papers on hand and readily available when requested.
-Chairs of the polling station should be in a supervisory role.
-Diagrammatic instructions posted inside the voting booths would help voters and ensure greater secrecy.
-Soldiers and SPU need greater guidance on their role in particular about not engaging in the voting process in some way and staying outside the polling stations
-Training for polling staff on transport procedures for the ballot boxes to go to district/regional level once voting has been completed and votes counted.

Education, training and information:

- More civic education (of course this has funding implications) - which until now has mostly been done by civil society when funds were available
-Civic education and awareness campaign for electorate on individual choice with greater emphasis on multiple voting being both wrong and illegal
-Provision of sample ballots and voter education material outside polling stations to assist voters
-Clearer training for polling station staff on the following points; setting up of polling stations; inking procedure; how to seal the ballot bag; the counting process, e.g. use of record book; return of ballots to the district office; and culture of respect towards voters
-Male candidates using women’s faces as symbols should be discouraged as leading to possible confusion as to the gender of the candidate

Closing and ballot counting procedures:

- More clarity about closing procedures, wiith the NEC taking overall responsibility at national level, and the chair announcing imminent closing at polling station level to comply with electoral provisions that those in the queue at 6pm should be allowed to vote, but no-one joining after that.

Transport:

- More transport to be made available to thhe NEC for supplying material, replenishing ballot papers and transporting ballot boxes
-Enforcement of prohibition of vehicle movement; fining parties for transporting voters on election day However, consideration to the possible need to provide transport for disabled and remote nomadic voters

Recommendations to the international community

Donors, including the new UN Democracy Fund, should recognise the requirement for sustained funding for:

A permanent NEC with full-time staff and sustained training programmes.

- A nationwide census to aid voter registraation, ballot paper distribution and the reduction of multiple voting in time for the 2007 local government elections
- Logistical support including transport, short-term polling stations building purchase from the private sector, additional staff and polling station materials, eg ballot boxes
- Donors might also investigate possibilities of providing information to parliamentarians and parties on how to develop coherent policy initiatives and form sustainable policy-oriented parties, including internal party discipline
- Support for women’s participation in the civic and electoral process
- Support for parties reflections on lessons learned and options for changes and improvements - including the possibility of exposure and exchange visits
- Investigate how best to respond to ideas emanating from civil society - section below.

Recommendations to political parties

- Engage with party supporters, local civill society and international donors on how to develop coherent policy initiatives and form sustainable policy-oriented parties, including internal party discipline
- Examine their options in terms of increasing women’s participation in the civic, electoral and parliamentary processes.
- Undertake with others (as abov
e) reflections on lessons learned and options for changes and improvements - including the possibility of exposure and exchange visits.

Recommendations arising from dialogue with civil society

- Civil society needs practical training maaterials, manuals and posters to further voter education
- Ability to learn from other countries such as Uganda on electoral practice
- Training for civil society in lobbying and advocacy techniques
- Coordination of election training activities between civil society, political parties, NEC, government and parliament
- This could come up with a joint plan of action
- Greater involvement of civil society in post-election activities
- Funding to civil society well before the elections.

Reflections on our recommendations

Women:

- We recognise the relative progress in wommen’s participation but also that the new system is likely to lead to their exclusion as representatives in parliament. Voters were encouraged, for example, to support male candidates, particularly if in the same clan. This also relates to the vexed question of clan allegiance - whether women belong to the clan of birth or that of marriage. The draft electoral law submitted by consultants in early 2005 suggested that a quota/ positive discrimination would be needed to address this but the Parliamentary Committee refused to even discuss the idea. We know that women are reluctant to stand as candidates. We also recognise that it took considerable time in other democracies before women got the vote. Given that this was the first parliamentary election in 40 years, Somaliland has some claim to be making progress on representation of women.

Qat:

- We recognise that it is perhaps pointlesss to suggest that qat be banned from the polling stations but perhaps some restrictions on time and location should be put in place. We realise this is a contentious issue.

Donor Coordination

- From all reports this has been in the worrds of one knowledgeable person ‘the best donor co-ordination so far’ with high praise for donors’ assistance.

It was also apparent that the process in Somaliland has had exemplary if unintended consequences in Mogadishu and Puntland and may be a useful lesson for the region in its people pushing for a voice in their governance. A role for civil society in addressing the implications of spreading the message on the successes of their election and indeed of their peace-building process could be examined.

Role of the diaspora

- In this election the diaspora has played a visible role and has contributed extensive experience of the democratisation process.

Transport

- We know that the ban on travelling on pollling days is both a security issue and an attempt to cut down on attempted multiple voting. There is, however, a clear need for better transport for voters, particularly those who were elderly, disabled and lived in rural areas. It will obviously be crucial to distinguish between people being transported on polling day to exercise their democratic rights and those being transported to attempt multiple voting at different stations. Transport by political parties is not uncommon in other countries and does not necessarily determine which the way the voters in a secret ballot. However we also agree with the proposition that if political parties/ candidates are allowed to provide transport there is the danger that those with more money and access to greater resources, especially those who were the governing party might be given an unfair advantage and reduce the chances of a level playing field. Here both electoral law and its implementation are crucial. An alternative possibility is to increase the number of polling stations to reduce the need for transport on polling day.

There appears to be a need for more polling staff training so that they are aware of transport procedures for the ballot boxes to the district/regional level once voting has been completed and votes counted.

The mix of clan and democratic practices

Somaliland is attempting to marry its traditional structures with a new democratic system. This has meant stability but does have a downside. We have heard of instances where clan elders have met with candidates and chosen a particular one for their people to vote for. Women candidates have supposedly been the losers in this process, although there are consensus factors to be considered in the complex relationship between clan, security and representative democracy. This points to some tensions in the democratic process as increased clan loyalty might lead to a decline in citizen loyalty and weaken parliament because it will ultimately still be clan dominated and not party dominated. In this sense civic education can enable voters to pick their own candidates/ leaders without sticking to clan lines. This is obviously part of the emerging democratic process but has problems, especially as parties do not have clearly differentiated agendas. Local level issues will need to be addressed by political parties/ candidates if they are to succeed. Help from the international community can greatly aid the process of ‘second phase democracy’ through provision of resources, in both financial and expertise areas.

Polling Stations

Concern was raised by many IEOs on the distribution of polling stations and the effectiveness of their layout. We recognise that lack of resources, particularly money and the practical restrictions within a country like Somaliland make this very difficult to standardise and provide. Attempts at standardisation were made but, particularly in rural areas, it was not entirely possible to dictate the layout of stations. Equally it was necessary to have polling stations indoors because of the rainy season. The provision of poor lighting can be addressed by providing more candles and/or lamps.

It is obvious that the renting of buildings is not suitable but options are limited. There is need to ensure that funds are available and that chosen locations are neutral places. There were problems when the number of polling stations was suddenly increased after staff training was completed making it very difficult to arrange everything in these additional places on time.

We are aware that the ballot bag NEC used was imported and adopted from Ethiopia because it was readily available. However it seemed impractical at times particularly without a frame. We would recommend that they not be used again. If there is no alternative to their use we believe that staff need more training on the use of the seals on the ballot bag as there was some inconsistency with their use.

Distribution of ballot papers was based on the last election but was still difficult to gauge as people moved around the country. People moved around the country before polling day in order to vote for their favoured candidate (and in a sense to gain clan advantage in particular areas). The issue of breakdown of communication between polling stations and the district levels when additional ballots were needed needs to be addressed.

Parties also expressed concerns that taking large numbers of ballots to the border polling stations increased the risk of fraud.

25,000 sample papers were issued for training purposes, but seem to have disappeared which gave some cause for concern, especially when fake ballot papers were intercepted at Hargeisa airport.

There appears to be a need for increased party agent training and also training of others on the role of party agents so that they are not asked to facilitate the voting process other than within their defined role.

IEOs reported that the Chairs of the polling station were very overworked with responsibilities including assisting the illiterate and disabled voters. Diagrammatic instructions, like those printed in the voter training manuals, if clearly posted inside the voting booths would help voters in making more secret and independent voting decisions and reduce the chairman’s workload. It would also help if in future s/he takes a greater co-ordination and supervisory role in the future, leaving the more administrative tasks to a deputy although this obviously requires more resources, training and staff.

Soldiers and SPU need to be properly informed about their role in the process. They were often engaged in the voting process in some way and did not adhere to the electoral law by staying outside the polling stations although it is not obvious that any intimidation occurred.

Training

NEC only had from the 2nd July to train people in their different roles. This was a serious constraint and needs to be rectified in future.

Identification and Multiple Voting

The invisible ink was chosen as a result of the widespread use of henna by Somaliland women which is difficult to remove. The decision was taken only the month before the election and training was necessarily limited on use of the ink, when to apply it, what to look out for in terms of ink being transferred and indeed the novelty factor. We thought that guidelines for uniformity of application should also be drawn up including at which stage in the process the ink should be applied. Polling station staff were told to apply the ink upon entry to the stations but some applied it upon exit. There was also a problem with the shape of the container for the liquid which caused difficulties in handling and spilling of liquid in some cases.

Voter education will be necessary to help resolve these and other problems, although for many this election saw a dramatic improvement on previous ones. Long queues probably limited the impact/ attempt of multiple voting.

It is probably unrealistic to arrest everyone for trying to vote more than once (although observers did see this happening e.g. in Hargeisa). In some places the removal of shoes and belts and/or making people sit outside for everyone to see appeared to be an effective punishment in some cases. As multiple voting is seen as a sport, a greater deterrent is needed. Multiple voting, whilst linked to transport, can be resolved or reduced through other mechanisms, particularly at the polling stations directly e.g. through posters stating this is against the law. NEC needs to publicise the consequences of attempting to multiple vote.

Closing Procedures

There had been some misunderstanding and confusion relating to the 6 pm deadline. Some polling stations stopping voting on the dot, rather than following the guidelines in the electoral law.

There was a weakness in the current system of recording and distributing polling station results. It was difficult to read the records of voting given that eight copies in total of each polling station result were needed (district, regional, NEC, Supreme Court, three parties and one in the record book). Records were not legible after the first four pages and some chairs (10-20%) did not reprint other pages as requested.

Voting Procedures

Originally there were to be pictures of candidates to assist illiterate voters but they were not clear so symbols were introduced (not without controversy). More pictorial symbols could help candidates campaign more effectively. Men using women’s faces as symbols should be discouraged as leading to confusion as to the gender of the candidate. We were unable to ascertain whether this was intended or not.

Conclusion

Our overall conclusion is that under the circumstances, this was in most places largely a free and fair process. There were some minor incidents which did not disrupt the general picture. There certainly appear to have been attempts at multiple voting. We suspect without having much evidence that this was attempted by all parties and may not therefore had led to any perceptible advantage to any one particular party. As we write the preliminary results seem to indicate that Somaliland will have a lively three party system, although with little political differences. The fascination is how a parliament that may be dominated by parties different to the executive will operate.

There are a number of lessons to be learned in all areas. We have held consultations with a number of key people and organisations as seen from the recommendations above. We commend the authorities and especially the people of Somaliland for this election and trust that in the future there will be a parliament more representative of both men and women.

CIIR International Election Observation Team

7th October 2005

Annex One: Implementation of CIIR Recommendations post-Somaliland Local Elections of 2002 - Preliminary Assessment24 September 2005

General

This preliminary assessment is a brief summary of the state of implementation of recommendations made by CIIR (in March 2003) following the Somaliland local government elections of 15 December 2002. It is made in light of the fact that many of the recommendations can not be fully evaluated (and these are not referred to here) as campaigning remains ongoing and polling day, at the time of writing, is five days hence.

NEC

It was recommended that an improved management structure be put in place so that a more effective division of labour could occur. One informant has mentioned that there remains a seriously inequitable division of labour within the NEC.

Polling Stations

It was recommended that voter registration at the Polling Station include painting of ink rather than dipping a finger into ink. There has been no change to the procedure. The recommendation that counting be conducted at each Polling Station has been included in the Election Law of 2005.

Registration of Voters

The recommendation that an electoral roll be established has not been acted on and no census (a necessary pre-requisit
e) has been conducted. It has been acknowledged in the Election Law of 2005 that this is to be the last election held without an electoral roll.

Transport

The embargo on all motor vehicle traffic, except some essential and specified - usually emergency - vehicle movement, remains in place for polling day. The CIIR recommended that there should be clarification on who can use vehicles on that day, and indeed this is attempted in the Electoral Law, but there remains some uncertainty, and even the rumour of a curfew.

Security

CIIR recommended that armed security personnel not be permitted within Polling Stations but should be available within the immediate vicinity. This has been addressed within the Electoral Law which states specifically that the role of security personnel - specifically police - is to ensure orderly behaviour outside each Polling Station and that police, armed or otherwise, may only enter Polling Stations on the instructions of the Chairman of the Polling Station. The practical implementation of this will be observed on polling day.

Public Awareness

The CIIR report noted an important need for continuous voter and civic education. While reports to date indicate that substantial education and training programs have been conducted, it seems that a substantial degree of voter education has been carried out by candidates for the forthcoming poll. This of course leaves the process open to abuse and it would obviously be preferable if such education was conducted by disinterested personnel.

Campaigning

CIIR and Somaliland civil society expressed the view that electioneering/campaigning should continue to be based on issues rather than clannism. So far there seems to be little evidence that this election is being contested by the three (national) parties on real issues of significance. One of the parties declared to the pre-election team that its distinguishing feature as a party was its ‘youth’.

It was recommended that religious symbols be excluded from use by parties and candidates and this has been included in the Electoral Law and appears to have been abided by.

A further recommendation was that the embargo on campaigning for 48 hours preceding polling day should continue. The Electoral Law has reduced this to a 24 hour limit.

Neutral, objective and fair access to the media has been shown to be, so far, and not unexpectedly, a ‘grey’ area that as yet is not easy to objectively assess.

Media

The need for a media code of conduct was highlighted by CIIR and such a code has been agreed to. As for the suggestion that the NEC invite international media - this has been agreed to by the NEC but it is unclear to what extent this has been proactively pursued. It is also unclear at present whether the NEC has clarified the position of filming inside Polling Stations.

Political Parties

CIIR recommended no use of clan and religious language and slogans. This does appear to be a feature of the political parties’ activities to date.

Resources/Funding

One recommendation for long term consideration was that of the investigation of state funding for political parties. Given the paucity of public funds, it is reasonable that there has been little attention paid to this but this issue is in fact related to two features of the current electoral process. There also remains a widespread perception of, and a number of complaints to the Election Monitoring Board, as well as media articles about, the substantial misuse of public funds and resources by the incumbent party, UDUB. The other aspect remains the lack of resources available to women candidates.

Long-term

The establishment of a permanent independent electoral institute was also recommended and although this has not happened, a civil service institute has been opened. The need is for a totally independent body.

The issue of a quota for women candidates within each party was raised with two of the parties and there seems to be a, rather superficial, response that there is a constitutional barrier to this given the ‘equality’ guaranteed to all citizens.

Conclusion

As stated, this is a preliminary evaluation of Somaliland’s responses to recommendations made by CIIR in 2003.

Peter Reddy. 24 September 2005

 Annex Two

CIIR’s election observation mission in Somaliland releases interim report on conduct of inaugural parliamentary poll

A team of experts that travelled to the internationally unrecognised Horn of Africa country of Somaliland to observe the first-ever parliamentary elections held there has released an interim report on the conduct of the poll on 29 September 2005, pending final official results expected in the week of 10 October.

The team, comprising 76 international observers from four continents was brought together by international development agency the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR), working closely with other organisations from South Africa, the United States and Scandinavia, and a team of local observers on the ground. Over one-third of the 982 polling stations were covered. The interim report was presented to the National Electoral Commission (NE
C) of Somaliland, which invited CIIR to facilitate the mission, on departure from Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital on 5 October.

Overall, the report concludes that the poll was conducted peacefully in a reasonably free and fair manner, with committed and enthusiastic participation by Somaliland’s citizens, despite the extremely challenging circumstances of Somaliland’s war-torn background. Three political parties were able to present their platforms in competitive fashion (despite lack of policy distinction); local civil society contributed greatly to the process; and women participated to a high level (although it was disappointing that out of 246 candidates, only seven were female).

However, there is scope for improvement, and a number of recommendations have been made. These include: greater civic education and training for candidates, election staff and voters; stronger measures to encourage female candidates; a higher degree of preparation and establishment of a permanent electoral commission; more resource support from the international community; and that a national census be held as soon as possible, to enable establishment of a voter registration system, which would in turn enable accurate estimations of turnout.

The latter could also help eliminate the biggest problem: attempts at multiple voting. These were observed on frequent occasions by the team. However, it is also pleasing to note they were often detected, and were by most accounts far less numerous than in 2002’s local elections and the presidential election in 2003.

Bearing in mind that a final result is still awaited, CIIR concludes that the conduct of the poll is very good news for Somaliland’s nation-building process. Dr Steve Kibble, joint co-ordinator of the mission said: “We wish to congratulate NEC and Somalilanders in general on their enthusiasm and commitment to their democratic process. We know there were many obstacles to overcome and inevitably with these first-ever parliamentary elections, there were some difficulties. We would urge in particular that the lack of women candidates - the majority of the population and from all accounts the majority of voters - be urgently addressed.”

The team of observers was funded by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and led by Dr Steve Kibble, CIIR Advocacy Coordinator for Africa, and Dr Adan Abokor, CIIR Country Representative for Somaliland.

A full report on the elections and their aftermath will be written and launched in Hargeisa and London before the end of this year.

Notes to editors:

In 1991, Somaliland decided unilaterally to end its union with Somalia, which had been gripped by three years of civil war, and embark on a process of democratisation. A referendum in 2001, local elections in 2002 and a presidential election in 2003 followed. There have been some setbacks during that time - notably the government’s incomplete compliance with human rights standards, as shown by the arrest of journalists and efforts to lean on the judiciary - but Somalilanders still hope the strategy will bring international recognition. For many observers, the democratisation of Somaliland is seen as an interesting experiment that deserves greater study and support in its incorporation of democratic values within a traditional social structure.

In addition to organising the team of election observers, CIIR was also officially asked by the Electoral Commission in Somaliland to act as the facilitation point for all international observers. The team included writers Mark Bradbury, Matt Bryden and Ken Menkhaus, and Michael Walls of the University of London who has worked extensively with pastoralists in Somaliland and the Horn. Other members included those with extensive electoral observation experience in Rwanda, South Africa, East Timor and Eastern Europe, including Piers Pigou from South Africa who worked for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there and Georgina Barrett, who works for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Dr Steve Kibble is CIIR's Advocacy Coordinator for Africa and Yemen. He is available for interviews. To arrange, please contact Finola Robinson, CIIR Press and Information Officer (see contact details below) or Dr Kibble at steve@ciir.org or on 020 7288 8629.

CIIR is an international development agency working with people of all faiths and none for the eradication of poverty and an end to injustice. CIIR is known in some countries, including Somaliland, as International Cooperation for Development (ICD). CIIR/ICD has been working in Somaliland since 1995.

For further information about CIIR/ICD, go to www.ciir.org or call Finola Robinson on 020 7288 8619. Finola can also be contacted via email at: finola@ciir.org

CIIR’s election observation mission in Somaliland satisfied with conduct of inaugural parliamentary poll

A team of experts that travelled to the internationally unrecognised Horn of Africa country of Somaliland to observe the first-ever parliamentary elections conducted there has concluded that the poll on 29 September was conducted in a reasonably free and fair manner, with committed and enthusiastic participation by Somaliland’s citizens, despite extremely challenging circumstances and the need for improvement on a number of fronts.

The team, comprising 76 international observers from four continents was brought together by international development agency the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR), which also observed the 2002 local elections in Somaliland. This time, CIIR worked closely with other organisations from South Africa, the United States and Scandinavia, and a team of local observers on the ground. Mohammed Dualeh, a Somalilander living in Britain who was making his first visit to the country his parents left before his birth played a central role in the mission.

Back at base in the capital city of Hargeisa after covering more than one-third of the 982 polling stations across Somaliland over the entire day, the team is considering the conclusions and recommendations to be made in its report to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), which invited CIIR to facilitate the mission. Preliminary conclusions include: that the campaign was overall a peaceful one despite Somaliland’s war-torn background; three political parties were able to present their platforms in competitive fashion, although policy manifestos left little to distinguish them from one another; local civil society contributed greatly to the process; and that women participated to a high level, although CIIR was disappointed to note that out of 246 candidates, only seven were female.

There is scope for improvement. There were complaints that the parties did not always strictly adhere to the NEC’s campaigning rules and allegations of misuse of government funds and media networks by the ruling UDUB party. Although measures to eliminate multiple voting, ensure voter confidentiality and remove scope to influence vote choices were taken, there were still problems on these fronts. A lack of resources and training gaps put pressure on both election staff and voters, and clear gaps in rule enforcement and security were identified. The vote counting process, although often conducted conscientiously, seemed particularly problematic.

However, pending results, CIIR concludes that the conduct of the poll is very good news for Somaliland’s nation-building process. Dr Steve Kibble, joint co-ordinator of the mission said: “We wish to congratulate NEC and Somalilanders in general on their enthusiasm and commitment to their democratic process. We know there were many obstacles to overcome and inevitably with these first-ever parliamentary elections, there were some difficulties. We would urge in particular that the lack of women candidates - the majority of the population and from all accounts the majority of voters - be urgently addressed.”

The team of observers was funded by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and led by Dr Steve Kibble, CIIR Advocacy Coordinator for Africa, and Dr Adan Abokor, CIIR Country Representative for Somaliland.

The team expects to be able to release a report on the conduct of the campaign in the near future. A report on the elections overall will be written and launched in Hargeisa and London before the end of this year.

CIIR’s election observing mission in Somaliland proceeding smoothly as vote approaches

A mission by a team of experts to observe the first-ever parliamentary elections in the internationally unrecognised country of Somaliland is proceeding smoothly as the 29 September 2005 polling day draws near.

The team, comprising over 70 international observers from four continents was brought together by international development agency the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR), working closely with other organisations from South Africa, the United States and Scandinavia. Its members include writers and academics renowned for their work in this fledgling Horn of Africa nation.

From the base in the capital city of Hargeisa, the team has been spread across Somaliland in order to cover as many as possible of the 982 polling stations around the country. On the ground, it is working closely with a team of local observers. Somalilanders themselves hope the elections will bring international recognition for their nation, built from scratch after years of devastating civil war.

The final week of the campaign has taken place against a background that underlines the challenges that face Somaliland’s nascent democracy. In a widely-reported incident in Hargeisa in the early hours of 23 September, some members of an alleged Al Qaeda-aligned cell were arrested after a lengthy gun battle with police. Elsewhere, opposition political parties have made a series of allegations, so far unsubstantiated, about use of government resources and money by the ruling UDUB party, unequal coverage of opposition platforms by state media networks, and harassment of state employees thought to support the two opposition parties. Nonetheless, the team remains confident the poll will proceed as planned. The final few days of preparation have seen briefings of the observers by the political parties, meetings with government representatives, including President Dahir Riyale Kahin and the Guurti, or council of elders, and meetings with the National Electoral Commission. At all levels, co-operation with the team has been satisfactory.

For one team member, the mission has proved a particularly emotional experience. Mohammed Dualeh, a Somalilander living in Britain, is making his first visit to the country his parents left in the 1970s, before he was born. “Somaliland is just as I had imagined it”, he said. “I feel like I’ve arrived home. As a member of the Diaspora, I’m delighted to be able to contribute something to the people of Somaliland, and their response to the election campaign proves they truly believe in democracy”.

The team of observers has been funded by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is led by Dr Steve Kibble, CIIR Advocacy Coordinator for Africa, and Dr Adan Abokor, CIIR Country Representative for Somaliland. Dr Kibble and Dr Abokor also led the team observing the 2002 local elections, which proved peaceful, reasonably free, and fair and were enthusiastically welcomed.

The team expects to be able to release a report on the conduct of the campaign very soon after its conclusion. A report of the elections will be written and launched in Hargeisa and London before the end of this year.

Annex Three: Overall Summary

International Observers visited the following number of stations in each of the 6 regions of Somaliland:

- Awdal 12 IEOs 65/153
- Hargeisa 29 IEOs 130/337
- Saaxil 6 IEOs 31/90
- Togdheer 18 IEOs 95/196
- Sool 2 IEOs 9/59
- Sanaag 7 IEOs 31/150
- In total, 74 IEOs were deployed in 32 vehicles, visiting 361/982 polling stations.

Of polling stations visited by international observers:

5.6% of polling stations were described as difficult to find.
- 12.4% of stations were described as having difficult physical access.

4.6% of polling stations were described as having experienced instances of voter intimidation.
- 11.4% of polling stations were described as having experienced disturbances.
- 6.5% of polling stations were described as having campaign material displayed.
- 5.6% of polling stations were described as having had large numbers of voters turned away.
- 84.6% of polling stations were described as having the police/security forces present and keeping order in a non-violent way.

89.9% of polling stations were described as having the presiding officer and his/her officers present.
- 94.1% of polling stations were described as having representatives of political parties present.
- 73.9% of polling stations were described as having had domestic observers present.
- 79.7% of polling stations were described as having had an orderly atmosphere.
- 10.8% of polling stations were described as having had problems over identification and registration.
- 87.3% of polling stations were described as having had the ballot papers correctly stamped.
- 83.3% of polling stations were described as having had the indelible ink applied correctly to voters.
- 79.7% of polling stations were described as having had voting booths secret.
- 11.8% of polling stations were described as having experienced instances of more than one person present in a voting booth at a time.
- 81% of polling stations were described as having had illiterate or disabled voters assisted appropriately.

Observations made during the vote:

- Voters were being transported from one pooling station to another.
- Allegations that the start of voting was delayed by up to eight hours on the Ethiopian border (Odweyne Province) because of lack of voting materials due to heavy rains the previous day.
- Voters often attempted to wash off the indelible ink in order to vote again
- The layout of the polling station could be improved
- Party agents were marking ballots for illiterates
- Ballot boxes were insufficiently small
- Lamps were not always being used to check for indelible ink
- Lack of battery replacements for lamps
- Voting continued even when polling stations cold not check for indelible in because of faulty amps
- Some voters were entering the voting booths in pairs
- Most voters were unfamiliar with all procedures
- Voters often had a long distance to travel in order to cast their vote
- Political agents were discussing the elections with the voters shortly before they cast heir vote
- Often illiterate voters cast their vote in public with the assistance of party agents and/or the chairman
- Many voters did not understand the symbols on the ballot paper or thought they were too small
- Polling station too crowded
- Voters been waiting for a very long time in the sun
- Voters often knew which party they wanted to vote for but not which candidate
- A voter kissed their ballot paper before casting their vote!!
- Many of the voters requested assistance in marking the ballot papers. The ballot boxes were difficult to use. One of the voters had blue stamp ink. (Berbera district)
- The chairman and his staff said that around 250 people had been detained by the police for attempting to vote twice. (Gabiley, 4.15pm)
- Most illiterate votes were not secret.
- Only one voting booth. Slow and inefficient layout. Long queues and frequent arguments and disruption but nothing serious. Could be better organised. Voters not treated with adequate respect both inside and outside the polling station. Women were queuing in the sun while men were in the shade. Police at the door were hitting voters with a thin stick. Chairman treated voters with some disdain. (Gabiley)
- We came just before the vote counting started. Everything seemed well organised and the feed back on the days voting was very positive. (Gabiley)
- Orderly and efficient. Turned away underage voters - over 15 people turned away for attempted multiple voting. Delays occurred when illiterate voters struggled to find the correct symbol in the dark. Confusion over when the polling station will close - the chair wanted the doors shut at 6pm. (Gabiley)
- Concern as to how thy had dealt with 900 voters in 7 hours (30 seconds per voter) - twice as many as in other places. Also concern about reliance on candles after dark. (Gabiley)
- About to run out of ballot papers at 2.55pm. They were planning to turn away the remaining voters, but luckily NEC officials gave them an extra 900 ballot papers. Very small open hut, very crowded inside. Some vehicles had Ethiopian licence plates. (Gabiley)
- Six minors were sent out, plus belts and shoes of those caught multiple voting were taken away. They were arrested and they were sat next to the polling station for people to see on the orders of the Electoral Commission. (Gabiley)
- Ran out of ballots at 4.55pm and 80 voters were unable to vote and they couldn’t get in touch with NEC because the network was down. (Gabiley)
- The queuing was disorderly, maybe due the approaching closing time. (Berbera)
- The most orderly and well organised we visited. The only place we had to sign in the register to say we had come. (Awdal)
- People were coming from other places where they had run out of papers. (Awdal)
- Double voting was a big issue - a man claimed he had voted four times. (Sool)
- There was a lack of furniture and people had to kneel on the floor to vote. (Awdal)
- When illiterate voters were given help, the vote was not secret because it was displayed to party agents and others. (Gabiley)
- Very good process as entry and exit were not through the same door. (Hargeisa)
- Party observers requested that the presiding officers observe marks on the ballots as he assisted voters. The presiding officer felt that it would be difficult to organise and he was not willing to allow the observation. (Hargeisa)
- There were not enough polling stations in the neighbourhood so there were long queues. (Hargeisa)
- The ultraviolet light was not working due to lack of batteries. It was claimed that the chairman allowed some double voting by some voters. (Sool)
- We only observed one voter at this polling station, and his vote was looked at before it was folded and placed in he ballot bag by the official. (Gabiley)

Overall conduct of the poll:

- The voting process at 28.4% of polling sttations visited was described as very good.
- The voting process at 50.3% of polling stations visited was described as good.
- The voting process at 2% of polling stations visited was described as average.
- The voting process at 8.8% of polling stations visited was described as bad.
- The voting process at 2.6% of polling stations visited was described as very bad.

Ballot counting observations: The counting of ballots was observed by international election observers at 20 stations.

- At 94.4% of stations the count was perforrmed exclusively at polling stations officials
- At 75% of stations the count was performed by officials that appeared to understand and adhere to the required procedures.
- At 100% of stations ballots were counted in an orderly and secure manner.
- At 100% of stations the count was conducted in a transparent environment with adequate arrangement for domestic observers.
- At 66.7% of stations the number of registered voters recorded corresponded with the number of ballots cast.
- At 94.1% of stations the unused ballots were secured or cancelled after being counted.
- At 95% of stations the invalid ballots were properly identified in a uniform manner.
- At 100% of stations the invalid ballots were appropriately segregated for review.
- At no stations did the ballots contain any unusual voting intended violate the secrecy of the vote.
- At no stations did the number of invalid ballots seem inordinately high.
- At 80% of stations the counting adhered to the principle that the ballot is deemed valid if the will of the voter was clear.
- At 100% of stations ballots for each party or candidate were separated and counted individually.
- At 100% of stations disputes or complaints were resolved in a satisfactory manner.
- At 92.3% of stations official counting records were correctly completed at the end of the count and signed by all authorized persons.
- At 75% of stations domestic observers and party agents were able to obtain official copies of the protocol for the polling station.
- At 20% of stations the results were publicly posted at the polling station.
- At no stations were there any inappropriate activities by police and/or security forces.
- At 88.2% of stations polling station officials agreed on the vote counting procedure and results.

Observations made during the count:

- The Chairman of the polling station did nnot appear to be well-trained and particularly well-informed resulting in a regional NEC official having to assist with the closing.
- Some voters appeared to have voted using the indelible ink (from their fingers) rather than marking the ballot with a pen as required.
- The polling station door was not closed and/or locked before the count took place.
- The party agents and domestic observers did not check serial numbers on the ballot box seals against those recorded at the beginning of the day.
- The crosses on the ballots were often too small and not easy to identify.
- The Chairman was great!
- People were unfairly turned away at 6pm even though they had joined the voting queue before 6pm.
- Counting was very slow!
- Possibility some candidates voted with inked finger instead of pen, but difficult to verify. (Odweyne)
- Counting was suspended several times for short breaks so that officials could rest and procure essential materials, such as food and fuel. Early in the count the secretary was taken ill and went home, than later the chairman passed out in the floor and the second scrutineer took over the position. Consensus was reached by those who remained awake as to how they should proceed in the chairman’s absence. (Baki)
- When we left the staff were very tired but discussing in a friendly and constructive way what to do. (Awdal)
- The chairman of the station did to seem to be well trained or informed. This was confirmed by the regional NEC who visited and assisted in the closing. (Berbera)
- As we approached the polling station at 18.05 we were told voting had finished and 50 people had been turned away very dissatisfied. (Gabiley)
- The chair was great. In the first two hours all the papers were shown with unclarities collectively decided. The secretaries periodically checked with the party agents that the figures were similar, which worked very well. In the end they had three votes extra. They referred to the books (where age was sometimes not filled out?) and discarded them. (Burao)
- Party claimed that there had been duplicate voting - issue unresolved as of 12pm. (Hargeisa)
- The doors were not closed before counting took place. Party agents and scrutineers did not check the seal numbers of the seals against the register. The crosses on the ballots were very snall and not easy to spot. (Odweyne)
- When they wanted to cut the seals, they didn’t know how to do it. They referred to the manual and couldn’t find any information so they discussed for five minutes how to cut them and finally decided to use scissors lent by the IEOs. (Erigavo)

Annex Four: Sample team report

‘TEAM 31’ - LOCATED IN X DISTRICT, TOGDHEER REGION

ELECTION DAY - 29 SEPTEMBER 2005
POLLING STATION: A
TIME OF VISIT : 5:40am

- The polling station was situated in a smaall room at the A Hospital. Team had been shown a slightly larger room the day before which would have been more appropriate.
- Approximately 200 people were waiting seated in lines (male and femal
e) - the atmosphere was calm
- First male voter was an elderly gentlemen. He said he had been there since the previous evening having come from the surrounding area. He said a number of other voters had joined the queue through the night and the early hours of the morning. He said the atmosphere had been generally very good.
- It appeared that both elderly and disabled persons were allowed to come to the front of the queue.
- Met with chairman of the polling station who was in process of opening ‘election box’ and setting up polling station.
- Although there was a curtain behind which a vote could be cast secretly, there was not an appropriate place for voters to write on and they were expected to do this standing upright

06:15 - polling station opens and first voters cast their vote

- Security requested voters to move closer to the door of the polling station, creating a certain amount of confusion as some tried to rush to the front of the queue resulting in the police officer beating several people to get back in line
By 06.30 - first 15 voters had cast their ballot
Left polling station at 06:40

[07:15: Mayor of X informs us that rain the previous night has resulted in several trucks transporting ballot materials getting stuck in the mud during the middle of the night. This affected about 20 of the 45 polling stations, especially those in the outlying areas to the south of the District and particularly along the border with Ethiopia that were negatively affected. Communications were bad and at this stage it was not clear when they would be opened. 07:30 : Radio Room in Hargeisa informed
Border polling stations affected: [13km to next station]
POLLING STATION: B
TIME OF VISIT : 8:00am.

- Approximately 40 people waiting in the quueues - very orderly
- Chair informed observers that the polling station had opened on time
- The application of the ink and checking with UV lamp was fine
- 5 party agent were present - (sixth, replacement joined during our visit). 2 of these were women.
- 1 domestic observer was present
- Polling station was very competently organised, relaxed, orderly and professional process. Processing of each voter took between 45 and 75 seconds
- Several voters requested assistance to cast their vote, and many, if not more, voted independently in the booth.

Left polling station at 8:30am. (26km to next station)
POLLING STATION: C
TIME OF VISIT : 9:15am

Approximately 70-100 people waiting at the polling station - pressing forward but generally orderly.
The polling station had separate entrance and exit. Layout in the polling station relatively well thought out, albeit a little cramped. Inside the polling station it was very dark, and even though there was provision for electricity, this was being reserved for the evening count. It was extremely difficult for people to cast their ballots secretly as the voting ‘booth’ was almost pitch dark. Nevertheless, we saw several people casting their ballots (secretly) in these conditions.
Diligent application of ink and use of UV
Chair checked said that almost 300 people had already voted
6 party observers were present (not all were really paying attention)
No domestic observer present
Left polling station at 09:45

POLLING STATION: D
TIME OF VISIT : 09:55
- Approximately 100+ people outside the polling station, not in orderly queues.
- Polling station had separate entrance and exit.
- Layout in the polling station a little chaotic.
- According to the chairman, 280+ people had already cast their ballots. The chair expected there would be about 600 voters in all.
- Ink was spilt and not applied diligently. Nevertheless, the station allowed people to wash their hands in a bucket at the station if there was any question of ink already being on voters’ hands. On two occasion, those who were suspected, were able to pass on to cast their vote. We witnessed 2 voters being turned away (one young man and one older woman).
- One voter was turned away for being underage.

- During the visit, one party representativve (from Kulmiye) complained that the chairperson had signed the wrong party for an assisted voter. The voter concerned had already left the voting station and was not present for the altercation.
- The chairperson could not find the register to register the complaint and said that a statement would be made to the police at a later time. The party representative was clearly not happy with this arrangement, but allowed the voting to continue
- There was a truck parked directly opposite the polling station with UDUB posters on it. There was an UDUB sign painted on the door of the polling station, as well as three sticker / posters on the inside wall of the polling station. We were informed that the voting station was usually a food store. (It did not appear that other party agents had raised concerns about this and did not raise this with the International Observers)
- Left polling station at 10:26

POLLING STATION: E
TIME OF VISIT : 10:57
- This was the only polling station where our identification tags were checked and we were asked to write our names in the registration book.
- Materials had arrived at 01:00am and the polling station had managed to open by 6am.
- About 120 had voted by the time we had arrived. Less than 20 people were waiting in the queue outside.
- Polling station was very well organised, well-lit and efficiently run. Friendly and relaxed. The chairperson was extremely professional. He is a teacher from Y who had previous work experience in the last two elections
- During our visit, most of the voters required assistance. In every case the chairperson handed over the ballot paper and pen to the voter, and in most instances, the voter then asked what they were meant to do (i.e. sign for their preferred candidat
e) and when told by the chairpersons the ballot was handed back to him and assistance requested. He then gave the ballot paper back to the voter to fold and place in the ballot ‘bag’.
- During our visit, the Chair insisted that women voters get preference in the queue, because the sun was up and hot.
- 6 party agents were present, but no domestic observer.
- Left polling station at 11:40

POLLING STATION: F
TIME OF VISIT : 11:55
- Voting had started on time at 6am. There were not many people waiting in line to vote. About 200+ had voted so far and the Chairperson was expecting about 400+ by the end of the day.
- The Chair was a teacher who had previous experience in the last two elections
- 6 party observers present - had come from Y and Z
- No domestic observer present
- During our visit most votes were ‘assisted voters’
- Conditions were cramped, but calm and orderly and operation carried out in a professional manner.
- Left polling station at 12:20

POLLING STATION: G
TIME OF VISIT : 13:20
- Polling had started at 7am, as voting materials had arrived a little late. About 75 people were waiting in line outside the polling station
- 342 had voted already - according to the chairman, about 70% of voters had been assisted voters
- Polling station was not laid out well - with a considerable amount of qat chewing by polling staff (ink and UV men). It was swelteringly hot in a small building with a tiny room with a sandy dirt floor. There was an adjacent room, which was used as a ballot booth - with no place to write on.
- 5 party agents present
- 1 domestic observer who was from N (who had been selected by the NEC)
- 2 voters were turned away during our visit for double voting - both women, one elderly.
- The polling station had a tin roof and was extremely hot.
- Left polling station at 13:46

POLLING STATION: H
TIME OF VISIT : 14:35
- Materials only arrived in morning and station was opened at 10am
- Approximately 200 had voted so far, and expecting a further 300+. Those who came from outlying areas were given preference in the queue
- Chairman and party agents were from Y and X
- No domestic observers present
- According to the chairman about 50% of voters were assisted.
- At least two persons were turned away from the polling station for double voting
- The polling station was very spacious, traditional structure with a nice layout, very cool inside - well organised. Very private polling ‘booth’. (Roof would leak if it had rained)
- Average time through the process was 75 to 90 seconds
- Very efficient and professional operation
- Left polling station at 15:00

POLLING STATION: I
TIME OF VISIT : 15:35

- Very small polling station - raising issuues of confidentiality
- No voters were queuing. 375 had already voted - estimated there may be as many as 500 living in the area.
- The polling station opened at 10am and they expected to finish at 10pm
- The staff, chairman and party agents came from X and Y
- 6 party agents present
- No domestic observer present
- Chairman had previous experience in last two elections
- Had to help “many’ illiterate voters - chairman said it was the hardest election so far, but they were confident they had succeeded.
- Left polling station at 15:50

POLLING STATION: J
TIME OF VISIT : 17:00

Polling station had just about completed voting - nobody left to vote. We introduced ourselves, but needed to get back to X for the count by six. The chairperson indicated that the process had gone extremely well and that there had been no significant problems.

VOTE COUNTING -
POLLING STATION: K

(After arriving at 17.59!! - Polling station closed exactly at 18.00 “for prayers” and re-opened at 19:30 for vote counting preparations)
- 826 ballots cast
- 20:10 - counting began
- Two scrutineers used (but alternated between ‘ink man’ and ‘UV man’)
- Chair was assisted with identification of “difficult” ballots, but staff and party agents
- 22:35 Lights went out - counting suspended
- 22:50 Lights came back on
- 23:58 Counting finished

Some problems in reconciliation - between count by chair and count by secretary
- Eventually they reconciled between themselves, but were 6 votes short of the overall counted (Observers were 1 over!)
- 12:40 Agreement on final outcome - despite problems of reconciliation

GENERAL

Assisted voting: X District is rural area with massive illiteracy. Consequently, a rough estimate is that between 40% and 75% of voters required assistance with voting. On only one occasion did the team witness any complaint from a party agent that the voters’ intentions had not been properly recorded

Multiple voting: Concern that some were unnecessarily turned away due to the problem of transference

Inking: Uniformly put in on the way into the polling station

Party agents: Present in many (probably most - the question was not asked) instances party

Qhat: Large consumption of qat on most polling stations. Perhaps the most disorganised, perhaps as a result of this was N.

Staff at polling stations: In most instances, staff had been transferred from other areas and were not local. In most polling stations staff were orderly and professional.

Vehicle movement: We saw only one vehicle moving during the voting day without appropriate identification

Voting Bag: A number of voters had some difficulty getting ballot papers into the voting ‘bag’ and required the assistance of election staff. In most polling stations we visited the voting ‘bag’ was situated proximate to one or more polling station staff who were able to assist with this.

Verification: Stamping of ballot papers on back or front of ballot paper - this should be standardised