By Deeq S Yusuf

Democracy is believed to be the fairest system of government. According to democratic theorist Robert A. Dahl, the term democracy literally refers to “rule by the people.” The term is derived from the Greek concept of dēmokratia, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens[1].

While democracy can take various forms, the most common system of government today is representative democracy, where the people elect representatives to govern on their behalf. In a typical democracy, supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free and fair elections. According to the Jeffersonian Perspective, the consent of the governed and majority rule are central to democracy, meaning no government is legitimate unless it enjoys the consent of the governed, and that consent cannot be rendered except through majority rule.[2]

It is widely held that the essence of democracy is majority rule. However, constitutional democracy in our time demands a majority rule with minority rights. This is because democracy cannot thrive in an environment dictated by the tyranny of the majority. Infact the fundamental principle of constitutional democracy, majority rule coupled with the protection of minority rights, is embedded in the constitutions of all genuine democracies today.[3] Hence both majority rule and minority rights must be safeguarded to sustain justice in a constitutional democracy. Overtime, “democracy has played a vital role in the history of civilization, helping transform the world from power structures of monarchy, empire, and conquest into popular rule, self-determination, and peaceful co-existence[4].” 

Since the advent of Somalia’s nascent Federal system, Presidential and Parliamentary elections have taken the form of indirect voting. Somalia has failed to transition to universal suffrage due to perennial political squabbles at the Federal level. Where Federal entities have failed, the Puntland State, under the leadership of President Said Abdullahi Deni has led the way by building popular democracy from below, which has culminated in the successful holding of the One Person One Vote (OPOV) elections model.

Puntland’s first ever OPOV elections that took place on October 25^th in the three pilot districts of Qardho, Eyl and Ufayn are an opportunity to test the viability of the electoral model, ahead of the state-wide local governance elections expected to take place in early 2022. The polls are the first attempt at holding a popular vote in Somalia in five long decades. The success of the Puntland electoral model would certainly inspire Somalia’s other regional governments to follow suit with expectations that it will exert pressure on Federal leaders to speed up the process at national level.

With a high turn out of 76% of registrants, thousands have voted in the elections that were contested by eight parties with close to 40,000 of the registered voters casting their ballot. A total of 87 councillors were elected with women taking up a quarter of the seats. In a clear signal of how the Puntland political space has opened up to all including the downtrodden, progressive voters elected Muhsin Abdullahi Haji, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Southern Somalia as a representative in the local Qardho local council. Muhsin’s election reinforces how the fundamental principle of majority rule with minority rights is a cornerstone of democracy. Deni has diligently worked hard to enshrine this fundamental principle by extending voting rights and the right to hold public office to IDPs from other regions of Somalia who have settled in Puntland.

The United Nations in Somalia has welcomed the holding of the direct elections in the three districts. Representatives from the United Nations visited Qardho in a show of solidarity with the people of Puntland as citizens participated in a ‘one person, one vote’ electoral process.

The UN believes that “the successful completion of ‘one person, one vote’ elections in Qardho, Eyl and Ufeyn would be an important step in showing the feasibility of universal suffrage elections at local, state and national levels across the country.”[5] It has commended the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC), the government and people of Puntland for their commitment to holding direct elections, as enshrined in Puntland’s Constitution[6].

The much-anticipated elections have also drawn the support of Somalia’s key development partners. Sweden, a major backer of Puntland’s development initiatives noted that the “elections in Puntland have unfolded peacefully in an organized manner.” The British government on its part has described the Puntland elections as “historic.” In late September, the British Ambassador to Somalia, Kate Foster, visited Garowe ahead of the local elections, to underline the importance of the elections to the wider democratisation process in Puntland. In her first visit to Puntland since her appointment, Ambassador Foster met with President Said Abdullahi Deni, where they discussed progress towards the One Person One Vote (OPOV) election as well as wider UK support to the region. Ms. Foster also met with officials of the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC), congratulating them on the progress of the planned local elections.[7] 

“The OPOV elections in Puntland are of historic significance. It demonstrates that One Person One Vote elections are possible in Somalia. The participation of voters indicates that people want to have a more direct say in selection of individuals and associations that represent them. I want to congratulate the Puntland State Government, and the Transitional Puntland Election Commission on the strong progress that’s been made, with UK and international community support[8]” said Ambassador Foster during her visit.

President Deni deserves credit for the overall success of the pilot local elections. By setting Puntland on the path of OPOV, Deni clearly has shown that free and fair elections lend legitimacy to the political process. Unlike his predecessors who had stonewalled attempts to introduce direct elections, Deni has solidified his true democratic credentials by successfully delivering the popular vote to Puntlanders.

Further, Deni believes that countries with democratic governments tend to be more prosperous than countries with non-democratic systems. His commitment to democracy is driven by his desire to bring prosperity and political stability to Puntland and Somalia at large. Deni has often reminded those in his inner circle that democracy tends to foster human development—as measured by health, education, personal income, and other indicators. More importantly, Deni holds that only in a democracy can there be a relatively high level of political equality.

Deni is a known proponent of the democratic theory which posits that democracies are hesitant to go to war with other democracies.[9] At the domestical level, he has emphasized that democracies are more peaceful in their internal relations compared to despotic regimes. For Deni, direct elections are an important mechanism in the democratic, peace and development processes. In building a sustainable peace and democracy across the country, Federal and regional entities should emulate Deni’s OPOV model which can help speed-up the post-conflict reconstruction and nation-building process in Somalia.

Deeq S Yusuf
Email: Deeqyusuf03@gmail.com
Deeq is a former Chief of Staff of Puntland Presidency 2014- 2017

———–
Reference
[1] Robert A. Dahl Democracy.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy
[2] Jeffersonian Perspective :  http://eyler.freeservers.com/JeffPers/jefpco35.htm
[3] John Patrick: Understanding Democracy. https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/glossary_term/majority-rule-and-minority-rights/
[4] Chatham House: The Importance of Democracy. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/04/importance-democracy
[5] United Nations in Somalia. https://unsom.unmissions.org/un-somalia-welcomes-holding-direct-elections-three-districts-puntland
[6] ibid
[7] Ambassador to Witness Preparations of Historic Elections. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ambassador-to-witness-preparations-of-the-historic-local-elections
[8] Ibid
7. Russett, Bruce (1993). Grasping the Democratic Peace: Principles for a Post-Cold War World. Princeton University Press.