Donors concerned over low representation of women in Somaliland

Somalia's donors have expressed concern over the low representation of women in political offices in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, noting that only seven out of a total of 246 candidates contesting seats in parliamentary elections scheduled for 29 September were women. "The representation of women remains very low and fails to reflect the pivotal role they play in Somaliland's socio-economic life," members of the Somali Democratisation Programme Steering Committee said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, following a mission to Hargeysa, Somaliland's capital, on 30 and 31 August. The committee is made up of the European Commission (chair), the War-Torn Societies Project International (implementing partner), Britain, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United States. Somaliland, the northwestern region of Somalia, declared independence from the rest of Somalia following the overthrow of President Muhammad Siyad Barre in 1991, but has not been internationally recognised as a separate state. The international committee however commended the electoral body and civil society groups in Somaliland for their efforts in promoting democracy through voter education initiatives ahead of the polls. "Considerable progress has been made in the preparations for the elections, which will conclude the first full cycle of the democratisation process in Somaliland," it said, adding that it had been encouraged by the commitment expressed by all three political parties to holding peaceful, fair and free elections in line with a code of conduct agreed on 18 July. "The Steering Committee urges maximum tolerance and restraint on all parties, and looks forward to the rapid establishment of the Election Monitoring Board to assist the NEC [Nation Electoral Commission] in the event of disputes," the committee said in a statement issued by the European Commission's delegation in Kenya, which also handles the commission's Somalia operations. It said donors had contributed 1.4 million euros (US $1.75 million) to fund Somaliland's parliamentary elections.