Somaliland opposition leader wins presidential election

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The opposition leader in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland won last week’s election, the electoral commission said Tuesday.

Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the main opposition Waddani Party received more than 50% of the votes cast.

President Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling Kulmiye Party, who was seeking a second term after seven years in office, came second with just over 30%.

The election was delayed twice since 2022 for a lack of funding and other reasons.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 amid a descent into conflict, has sustained its own government, currency and security structures despite lacking international recognition. Over the years, the region has built a stable political environment in sharp contrast to Somalia’s security struggles.

Somaliland’s latest agreement with neighboring Ethiopia granting it access to the Indian Ocean in exchange for recognition has caused political tension with Somalia, which accuses Ethiopia of undermining its territorial integrity.

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