Somaliland Supreme Court Dismisses Electoral Commission’s Request for Legal Interpretation

The Supreme Court of Somaliland has officially rejected a letter received from the National Electoral Commission on July 4th, in which the commission sought legal interpretation pertaining to the upcoming elections.

In a statement released on Monday, the court emphasized that the authority to determine the sequence of elections rests with the national electoral commission, not the Supreme Court. Consequently, the court found no grounds to address the commission’s request for clarification.

However, the Supreme Court emphasizes the importance of the national electoral commission declaring the election timeline. The sequencing of elections has been a contentious issue among various stakeholders since the previous year. 

While President Bihi and political organizations advocate for conducting elections for political parties and associations first, the two opposition parties assert that the presidential election should take precedence.