Elections in Somalia

Elections in Somalia

Somalia is a country in transition. "De facto" the state has been in anarchy since 1991 with only loose governmental structures. Political parties organized based strictly or primarily on political beliefs don't play much of a role; instead, there is a strong sense of ethnic identity and clan-based organization.

There are not general elections by the populace. The interim Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) of 275 members was selected in 2004, with each of Somalia's four major clans getting 61 seats in the parliament, and an alliance of minority clans given 31 seats. These seats were selected by traditional clan leaders, such as in shura councils, or were chosen for their office because they were powerful "de facto" leaders such as warlords or businessmen. Once appointed, the Parliament then voted, as a representative body for Somalia, to elect President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Somalia therefore is a representative democracy and technically a republic, but has not yet held any general elections.

Many of the present political parties are, or until recently also were militia groups often aligned with clan structures or were supporters of warlords, and often violently active in the Somali Civil War, such as two factions of the United Somali Congress (USC), the Somali National Movement (SNM), the Somali Democratic Movement (SDM) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM). Women were represented by the "Sixth Clan" movement of Asha Haji Elmi. Some agenda-based (rather than clan-based) political movements also exist, such as Green Leaf for Democracy (GLED). Since the Somali government recently gained control of the country, general elections are likely to be held soon.

Past elections

ee also

* Electoral calendar
* Electoral system

External links

* [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/s/somalia/ Adam Carr's Election Archive]
* [http://africanelections.tripod.com/so.html African Elections Database]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Somalia — Somali Republic Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya جمهورية الصومال‎ Jumhūriyyat as Sūmāl‎ …   Wikipedia

  • Somalia — Somalian, adj., n. /soh mah lee euh, mahl yeuh/, n. an independent republic on the E coast of Africa, formed from the former British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland. 9,940,232; 246,198 sq. mi. (637,653 sq. km). Cap.: Mogadishu.… …   Universalium

  • Somalia — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Somalia <p></p> Background: <p></p> Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation… …   The World Factbook

  • Somalia, Democratic Republic Of —    Having gained power through a military coup in 1969, Muhammad Siad Barré and his revolutionary associates attempted to transform Somalia into a Marxist state. Barré became president of the Supreme Revolutionary Council on 15 October 1969… …   Historical dictionary of Marxism

  • Elections in Africa — This page lists the most recent (direct) national elections in African countries. Table of contents * Algeria * Angola * Benin * Botswana * Burkina Faso * Burundi * Cameroon * Cape Verde * Central African Republic * Chad * Comoros * Congo… …   Wikipedia

  • Elections in Mauritania — Mauritania This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Mauritania Constitution President …   Wikipedia

  • Elections in Malawi — Malawi This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika Vice President …   Wikipedia

  • Elections in Comoros — Comoros This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Comoros President Ikililou Dhoinine Vice President …   Wikipedia

  • Elections in Niger — Niger This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Niger Constitution President …   Wikipedia

  • Élections en Somalie — Somalie Cet article fait partie de la série sur la politique de la Somalie, sous série sur la politique …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”