issue 194

Washington, DC, October 3, 2005 PRESS RELEASE (United States Department of State) – The United States ‎welcomed the recent parliamentary elections in the Somaliland region of Somalia as an example of ‎democracy for greater Somalia, according to an October 3 State Department statement.‎
Somaliland is a former British colony in the Horn of Africa that merged in 1960 with the Italian colony of ‎Somalia to form the independent republic of Somalia. But when Somalia descended into anarchy in the early ‎‎1990s, Somaliland broke away and set up its own administration.‎
While clan-based fighting swept the center and south of Somalia following the 1991 ouster of longtime ‎dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre, Somaliland remained relatively peaceful, aided by the strong dominance of a ‎ruling clan and an economic infrastructure left behind by British, Russian and American military aid ‎programs.‎
Although the region has its own security and police forces, justice system, and currency, it has not ‎succeeded in gaining international recognition. The elections on September 29 were the first multiparty ‎parliamentary elections since the region separated from Somalia. Many of the candidates were citizens of the ‎United States, Britain, Canada, and some European countries.‎
Following is the text of the State Department statement: ‎
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ‎
Office of the Spokesman ‎
October 3, 2005 ‎
STATEMENT BY SEAN McCORMACK, SPOKESMAN ‎
Regional Parliamentary Elections in Somalia ‎
The United States welcomes the September 29 parliamentary elections in Somaliland, which represent a ‎step towards democracy in Somalia. We congratulate the people of Somaliland on holding peaceful elections ‎with significant voter turnout. The United States calls on all political parties to work together peacefully ‎during the post-election period to strengthen the democratic transition in Somaliland and serve as an ‎example for greater Somalia.‎

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)‎