# The 2021 Somaliland parliamentary and local elections

> Somaliland's joint parliamentary and local council elections of 31 May 2021: the delay since 2005, the results, the opposition majority, women, and what observers found.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/somaliland-parliamentary-election-2021/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

"On 31 May, 'Somaliland' held long-delayed joint parliamentary and local council elections. Sixty-five per cent of registered voters cast their votes to elect 82 members of the House of Representatives and councillors for 21 districts," the UN Secretary-General reported. On 5 June the results were announced, "with the opposition winning 52 of the 82 parliamentary seats" ([UN Security Council, S/2021/723, para. 9](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2021/723&l=en&t=pdf)).

It was the first parliamentary election since 2005 ([Al Jazeera, 6 June 2021](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/somaliland-opposition-wins-first-parliamentary-polls-since)). See [the 2005 election](/en/history/somaliland-parliamentary-election-2005/) and [elections in Somaliland](/en/institutions/elections-in-somaliland/).

## Before the vote

From Scott Pegg and Michael Walls, who observed the vote, writing for the University of Tartu ([De Facto States Research Unit, 13 June 2021](https://defactostates.ut.ee/observing-somalilands-2021-parliamentary-and-local-council-elections)):

- **The delay.** The House of Representatives elected in 2005 had served 11 years beyond its five-year mandate.
- **The size.** About 1.065 million registered voters, 2,709 polling stations and more than 30,000 poll workers. It was the first time the two polls were held together.
- **Candidates.** 798 in all: 552 for 220 council seats and 246 for 82 parliamentary seats. "Only 28 (3.5%) were women", down from 5.91 percent in 2012.
- **The register.** The iris-scan voter register was "highly effective" in stopping multiple voting, which had been a serious problem in 2012. See [the 2017 presidential election](/en/history/somaliland-presidential-election-2017/).

## The result

House of Representatives, as reported by Al Jazeera ([Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/somaliland-opposition-wins-first-parliamentary-polls-since)):

| Party | Seats |
|---|---:|
| Waddani (Somaliland National Party) | 31 |
| Kulmiye (Peace, Unity and Development Party) | 30 |
| UCID (Justice and Welfare Party) | 21 |
| Total | 82 |

- **The coalition.** Waddani and [UCID](/en/government/ucid-justice-and-welfare-party/) announced "a political alliance to get the speaker of the [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) parliament" (Al Jazeera).
- **Councils.** The two opposition parties "won mayoral positions in five of the seven major towns, including the capital, Hargeysa" ([S/2021/723, para. 9](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2021/723&l=en&t=pdf)).
- **Women and minorities.** "No woman was elected to Parliament, but a minority clan candidate was elected to the House of Representatives and a woman as a mayor" (same source). Al Jazeera reported that "none of the 13 women who ran for parliament won their races".

## What observers said

- **Pegg and Walls.** Walls was chief observer of the Limited International Election Observation Mission; the two wrote in a personal capacity. They saw minor problems at the 25 polling stations they visited, "nothing that indicated fraud or malfeasance", and "several cases of underage voting". Somaliland has no birth registry to check ages ([Tartu](https://defactostates.ut.ee/observing-somalilands-2021-parliamentary-and-local-council-elections)).
- **The Brenthurst Foundation** sent a separate mission, which visited polling stations in five centres covering "more than 70% of the voting population" ([Brenthurst Foundation](https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/publications/report-of-the-brenthurst-foundation-somaliland-election-monitoring-mission/)).

## What followed

- **The presidential vote.** Due in 2022, it was delayed to November 2024. See [the 2024 Somaliland presidential election](/en/history/somaliland-presidential-election-2024/).
- **The next parliament.** In April 2026 the House of Elders extended the terms of the House of Representatives and local councils to October 2028 ([Dawan Africa, April 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somaliland-elders-extend-parliament-councils-terms-by-27-months)).

## Who suffered?

- **Women candidates,** none of whom won a parliamentary seat (S/2021/723; Al Jazeera).
- **Voters,** who had waited 16 years for a new House of Representatives (Al Jazeera).

## Sources differ

- **Turnout.** The UN gives 65 percent of registered voters. The observers' blog gives no turnout figure.
- **Women candidates.** Al Jazeera counts 13 women standing for parliament. Pegg and Walls count 28 women among all 798 candidates for parliament and councils.

## Read the primary sources yourself

- UN Secretary-General, report on Somalia, S/2021/723 (10 August 2021), para. 9: [PDF](https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2021/723&l=en&t=pdf).
- Scott Pegg and Michael Walls, "Observing Somaliland's 2021 parliamentary and local council elections", University of Tartu, 13 June 2021: [article](https://defactostates.ut.ee/observing-somalilands-2021-parliamentary-and-local-council-elections).
- Al Jazeera, "Somaliland opposition wins first parliamentary polls since 2005", 6 June 2021: [article](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/somaliland-opposition-wins-first-parliamentary-polls-since).

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