Somalia Election 2021 - Update 1
Salaam dear friends,
As some of you may already know, I'm currently on a break from social media until Jan 2022, Inshallah. Before I left, I was doing a live thread on Twitter to communicate election progress via charts - lending a veneer of factuality to what is basically a banal mockery of democracy.
So in this post and others to follow, I will continue with the election analysis as short posts. Any charts, data tables, or illustrations I share here are always free, feel free to use or share with friends and colleagues.
Numbers are not easy to come by in Somalia. Even during elections. In fact, the Federal Election Implementation Team (FEIT) is not posting any result declaration forms at all. Instead, they are posting nonstandard, often late press releases with sometimes just the winners' names. As usual, numbers take a backseat in Somalia to frivolous statements.
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Despite the unnecessary election delays, today's completion of Somaliland's Upper House election in Afisyoone represents real progress. This brings the total number of Senators elected so far to 46 out 54, or 85% of the assembly.
With two-thirds of the Upper House already elected, the assembly may now have the quorum necessary to conduct business, starting with the election of the Speaker.
Pressure now turns to Jubaland, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug to ensure the swift election of the remaining senators - a significant roadblock to the next phase: the election of the Lower House.