22
effectively carry out its duties and contribute to successful local council elections. IRI also
assisted the Registration of Political Associations and Approval of Political Parties Committee
in educating electoral stakeholders on key electoral rules and legal frameworks.
Interpeace provided assistance to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission by providing
expert guidance and technical assistance to National Electoral Commission staff, training
regional and district electoral officers on their election oversight duties and training 3,477
polling station workers. As was the case in the 2005 and 2010 elections, Progressio
implemented an international election observation mission that included the deployment of
three long-term observers and 50 international observers on Election Day.
On the “demand” side, Oxfam conducted a program targeted at rural communities to encourage
marginalized groups, including pastoralists and youth, to understand their rights and
responsibilities as voters and to encourage their participation in the electoral process.
Saferworld’s program “included the training of 677 domestic observers to monitor the elections
and the establishment of the Somaliland Civil Society Election Forum. This provided a
platform for non-state actors to oversee electoral legislation and its compliance and advocate on
election-related issues on behalf of their constituent communities.”
43
The Centre for
Humanitarian Dialogue built on its work in advance of the 2010 presidential elections to support
an electoral dispute resolution mechanism.
Support to Somaliland’s Civil Society
NED began supporting Somaliland’s civil society through small direct grants in the late 1990s,
recognizing that civil society organizations had formed in Somaliland that were providing social
services and serving other institutional roles in the absence of a robust government. NED
support initially focused on fostering the basic functions of a developing civil society within a
fragile political and development context, and has evolved to its current support of relatively
advanced projects conducted by more mature civil society organizations
44
and support to
relatively new civil society organizations on emerging issue topics, such as encouraging
political participation of rural women.
Over the years, NED has also provided grants to international organizations such as
Independent Diplomat “to work with senior government officials and civil society leaders to
promote stronger relationships and coordination between the two.”
45
As part of its USAID-funded Elections and Parliamentary Support program (2007-2011), IRI
provided support to civil society groups representing Somaliland’s marginalized populations,
including training and consultations to the Somaliland Marginalized Advocacy Group to build
organizational capacity in its formative years and to help its leaders build consensus around the
organization’s identity and purpose. Further, between May 19, 2008 and April 8, 2010, IRI
43
Makokha, Jacinta, and Yussuf Ali.
Somalilanders Speak: Lessons from the November 2012 Local Elections
. Rep.
Saferworld, Apr. 2013. Web. July 2013, p.i.
44
Such as support to the Institute for Practical Research and Training to provide technical support to the
Somaliland parliament and the Somaliland National Youth Organization to conduct advocacy on issues related to
youth democratic engagement.
45
"Somaliland."
National Endowment for Democracy
. National Endowment for Democracy, n.d. Web. July 2013.
>.
