Britain has released a joint statement by13countries and the European Union on Somaliland elections

The below statement was signed by United Kingdom, European Union, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland

“International partners congratulate the people of Somaliland, political parties, the National Electoral Commission and other government institutions on the successful conduct of the 2021 parliamentary and local council elections and on electoral security arrangements. Through these elections, the people of Somaliland have demonstrated a strong commitment to the electoral process, to political participation and to strengthening democracy.

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We welcome in particular the historic election of minority groups to the House of Representatives and the large numbers of youth candidates elected. We recognise the significant achievements of female candidates during this electoral process, but deeply regret that this has not translated to more women in elected office resulting in decreased women political representation.

It will be important for all stakeholders to learn from this, and for government, political parties and others to take actions to strengthen women’s political participation well in advance of future elections. We look forward to urgent and concrete steps from the new parliament and the government to ensure a fair representation of women in government and administration.

We remain committed to continuing our constructive cooperation to further democratisation and the inclusion of women and marginalised groups in Somaliland, and to support regular and timely elections at all levels of government. We look forward to strengthening our cooperation with the newly elected local councils and parliament, both on these issues and on other matters of mutual interest. the statement said.