# Dahir Riyale Kahin (Daahir Rayaale Kaahin)

> Dahir Riyale Kahin, born 1952: Vice President then President of Somaliland 2002–2010, the 80-vote result of 2003 and the 2010 handover.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/dahir-riyale-kahin/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is he?

Dahir Riyale Kahin was President of Somaliland from 2002 to 2010. He was Vice President from 1997 to 2002 ([Wikipedia, Dahir Riyale Kahin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahir_Riyale_Kahin)).

Somaliland declared its independence in 1991. Israel recognised it on 26 December 2025; most states and the African Union regard it as part of Somalia. See [Somaliland, 1991 to 2026](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/).

## Early life and career

He was born on 12 March 1952 in Quljeed, in the [Awdal](/en/regions/awdal/) region. His family is Gadabuursi (Dir) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahir_Riyale_Kahin)). He went to school at Amoud and trained in Mogadishu (same source). He served at the Somali embassy in Djibouti, and in the 1980s was an officer of the [National Security Service](/en/history/somali-democratic-republic-1969-1991/), including in Berbera (same source). In the early 1990s he was Governor of Awdal.

## President, 2002 to 2010

When President [Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal](/en/people/mohamed-haji-ibrahim-egal/) died on 3 May 2002, Riyale was sworn in as President ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahir_Riyale_Kahin)).

On 14 April 2003 Somaliland held its first multiparty presidential vote. The electoral commission's count gave him 205,595 votes and [Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo](/en/people/ahmed-mohamed-mohamoud-silanyo/) 205,515, a difference of 80 votes ([Wikipedia, 2003 Somaliland presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Somaliland_presidential_election)). The opposition disputed the count. The constitutional court confirmed the result in May 2003, and Silanyo accepted it (same source). The International Crisis Group studied this period in [Somaliland: Democratisation and its Discontents (2003)](https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/66-somaliland-democratisation-and-its-discontents.pdf).

He was the first President of Somaliland who was not from the Isaaq, the largest group in the area (same Wikipedia source). In 2007 he led a delegation to the Commonwealth meeting in Kampala. In 2008 he created new regions and districts by decree, which drew criticism ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahir_Riyale_Kahin)).

## The 2010 handover

The next presidential vote was held on 26 June 2010 ([Al Jazeera, 26 June 2010](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/6/26/voting-wraps-up-in-somaliland)). Silanyo won, and Riyale handed over power ([Wikipedia, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Mohamed_Mohamoud)).

## In short

President of Somaliland from 2002 to 2010. He handed office to Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo after the 2010 election.

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