Political parties and movements
UCID (Justice and Welfare Party)
UCID, the Justice and Welfare Party, was Somaliland's oldest political party. Faysal Ali Warabe founded it in 2001 and stood for president four times, from 2003 to 2024. It won 21 of 82 seats in both the 2005 and 2021 parliamentary elections. It lost national party status on 13 November 2024, when it came seventh of ten with 10,105 votes.
What was UCID?
UCID stands for Ururka Caddaalada iyo Daryeelka, the Justice and Welfare Party. It is also translated as "For Justice and Development" (Wikipedia, Justice and Welfare Party). It was the oldest of Somaliland's parties and was based in Hargeisa (same source).
Faysal Ali Warabe, an engineer, founded it in 2001 and chaired it throughout (Africa Confidential, Faisal Ali Warabe). He had lived in Finland. A 2013 University of Jyväskylä study says the party's programme was inspired by the Finnish Social Democratic Party (University of Jyväskylä, 2013).
What did it stand for?
UCID called itself social democratic. It was an observer member of the Socialist International (Socialist International, member parties). African Arguments wrote in 2017 that it was the only national party with a clear political ideology (African Arguments, 6 Nov 2017).
The Academy for Peace and Development and Interpeace wrote in 2015 that UCID's support came largely from the Ciidagale and Garxajis, with some other Isaaq sub-clans (APD and Interpeace, August 2015).
How did UCID do in elections?
President (candidate in every race: Faysal Ali Warabe)
- 2003: 77,433 votes, 15.85 percent, third (Wikipedia, election tables; Africa Confidential).
- 2010: 92,459 votes, 17.18 percent, third (Wikipedia).
- 2017: 23,141 votes, 4.17 percent, third (Somaliland NEC, final results, archived).
- 2024: 4,699 votes, third (Somaliland NEC, interim results).
Parliament
- 29 September 2005: 180,545 votes, 26.93 percent, 21 of 82 seats (Wikipedia).
- 31 May 2021: 21 of 82 seats again. UCID formed a coalition with Waddani that held 52 seats, giving the opposition control of the House (AFP via VOA, 10 Jun 2021).
Local councils
- 2002: 49,444 votes, 11.24 percent, 43 seats.
- 2012: 105,105 votes, 12.96 percent, 40 of 323 seats.
- 2021: 159,801 votes, 23.18 percent, 48 of 220 seats (all three from Wikipedia).
How did UCID lose its party status?
Somaliland's constitution allows only three national parties. Every ten years, parties and new associations compete for the three places (University of Tartu, 2024). UCID held a place after the contests of 2002 and 2012.
On 13 November 2024, UCID won 10,105 votes and came seventh of ten. Waddani, Kaah and Kulmiye took the three places (Somaliland NEC, interim results). Kaah replaced UCID as a national party.
Related pages
Sources
- Wikipedia, Justice and Welfare Party · en.wikipedia.org
- Africa Confidential, Faisal Ali Warabe · africa-confidential.com
- University of Jyväskylä, 2013 · jyx.jyu.fi
- Socialist International, member parties · socialistinternational.org
- African Arguments, 6 Nov 2017 · africanarguments.org
- APD and Interpeace, August 2015 · interpeace.org
- Somaliland NEC, final results, archived · web.archive.org
- Somaliland NEC, interim results · slnec.net
- AFP via VOA, 10 Jun 2021 · voanews.com
- University of Tartu, 2024 · defactostates.ut.ee
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Where this matters
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- Political parties laws of Somalia, 2016 and 2024Somalia's federal laws on political parties: the 2016 Political Parties Law, the 2024 law passed with the new election laws, the debate over limits on the number of parties, and party registration for the 2027 elections.
- Waddani (Somaliland National Party)Waddani, the Somaliland National Party: founding in 2012, leaders, every election result from 2012 to 2024, and its place among the three national parties.
- Kulmiye (Peace, Unity and Development Party)Kulmiye, Somaliland's Peace, Unity and Development Party: its founding in 2002, chairs, two presidents, and every election result from 2002 to 2024.
- Kaah (Kaah Alliance for Equality and Development)Kaah, Somaliland's newest national party: founding in 2022, its leader Mohamoud Hashi Abdi, the 2024 party contest, its alliance with Waddani and its positions since.
- Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP)Somalia's Justice and Solidarity Party: its launch in May 2025, leaders, membership figures, results in the 2025 and 2026 votes, and the criticism it has faced.
- Tayo Political PartyTayo, Farmaajo's party: its founding in 2012, its years in power from 2017 to 2022, its leaders, presidential results and its place in the opposition.