Somaliland constitutional referendum, 2001
Encyclopedia
The 2001 Somaliland constitutional referendum took place on 31 May 2001 in the internationally unrecognised Republic of Somaliland
. The referendum
was held on a draft constitution
that affirmed Somalialand's independence from Somalia
as a separate state. Two-thirds of eligible voters took part in the referendum and 97.1% of them voted in favour of the constitution. However the referendum was opposed by the government of Somalia and did not lead to any state recognising the independence of Somaliland.
, the Somali National Movement
declared the independence of Somaliland. In 1993 an executive presidency
was set up with a bicameral
legislature
and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal was elected president by a council of elders. In 1997, at a Conference of Somaliland Communities in Hargeisa
, a constitution was adopted to last for 3 years until a referendum could take place to bring it into full effect. The constitution was amended in 2000 and the referendum was delayed by one year till 2001. Meanwhile the attempts to form a national government of Somalia and the formation of the Transitional National Government
of Somalia in May 2000 encouraged Somaliland to hold a referendum to try and show Somaliland's desire for independence.
or voter lists so community elders decided who was eligible to vote in the referendum.
The Transitional Federal Government
of Somalia opposed the referendum, describing it as illegal and said that the government of Somaliland had no authority to unilaterally separate from Somalia. The referendum was also opposed by the leadership of the neighbouring region of Puntland
as provocative. No international organisation or country supported the referendum.
A team of ten observers
from the Initiative and Referendum Institute
observed the referendum. They were only able to visit 57 of the 600 polling stations and avoided the Sool
region due to security concerns. However they reported that the referendum was open, fair, peaceful and any fraud was rare and insignificant.
's opposition to the splitting of existing states.
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
. The referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
was held on a draft constitution
Constitution of Somaliland
The Constitution of Somaliland was adopted by the Houses of the Parliament of Somaliland on 30 April 2000. The constitution was approved in a referendum held on May 31, 2001 when 97% of the voters voted in its favour. Its re-published version consists of a Preamble and five main chapters each of...
that affirmed Somalialand's independence from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
as a separate state. Two-thirds of eligible voters took part in the referendum and 97.1% of them voted in favour of the constitution. However the referendum was opposed by the government of Somalia and did not lead to any state recognising the independence of Somaliland.
Background
In May 1991 after the fall of the military dictator of Somalia, Siad BarreSiad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre was the military dictator and President of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991. During his rule, he styled himself as Jaalle Siyaad ....
, the Somali National Movement
Somali National Movement
The Somali National Movement was a 1980s-1990s Somali rebel group. Founded and led by Isaaq members to protect the clan's interests, it was key in the formation of Somaliland, a self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.-Formation:In April...
declared the independence of Somaliland. In 1993 an executive presidency
Executive president
An executive president is a president who exercises active executive power in a certain systems of government. Executive presidents are active in day-to-day governance of a nation, and are usually popularly elected....
was set up with a bicameral
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal was elected president by a council of elders. In 1997, at a Conference of Somaliland Communities in Hargeisa
Hargeisa
Hargeisa is a city in the northwestern Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somalia. With a population of approximately 2 million residents, it is the second largest city in the country. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region...
, a constitution was adopted to last for 3 years until a referendum could take place to bring it into full effect. The constitution was amended in 2000 and the referendum was delayed by one year till 2001. Meanwhile the attempts to form a national government of Somalia and the formation of the Transitional National Government
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
of Somalia in May 2000 encouraged Somaliland to hold a referendum to try and show Somaliland's desire for independence.
Referendum
The referendum in effect became a vote on the independence of Somaliland due to the inclusion in the constitution of a clause on Somaliland's independence. There was no censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
or voter lists so community elders decided who was eligible to vote in the referendum.
The Transitional Federal Government
Transitional Federal Government
The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
of Somalia opposed the referendum, describing it as illegal and said that the government of Somaliland had no authority to unilaterally separate from Somalia. The referendum was also opposed by the leadership of the neighbouring region of Puntland
Puntland
Puntland , officially the Puntland State of Somalia , is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998....
as provocative. No international organisation or country supported the referendum.
A team of ten observers
Election monitoring
Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization , primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international standards. There are national...
from the Initiative and Referendum Institute
Initiative and Referendum Institute
The Initiative and Referendum Institute is an organization promoting initiatives and referendums in the United States. It maintains a state-by-state history and status report of the Initiative and Referendum system throughout the country....
observed the referendum. They were only able to visit 57 of the 600 polling stations and avoided the Sool
Sool
Sool is an administrative region in northern Somalia.-Overview:With its capital at Las Anod, Sool is historically known for being the seat of the anti-colonial Dervish movement....
region due to security concerns. However they reported that the referendum was open, fair, peaceful and any fraud was rare and insignificant.
Results
About two-thirds of voters took part in the referendum and 97.1% of them voted in favour of the constitution. The international observers agreed that those who did not vote were most likely opposing the referendum, with only 31% turnout in the Las Anod district where there was the most opposition to the constitution.| Electorate | Spoilt votes | Turnout (%) | For (%) | Against (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,295 | 1,188,154 | 1,148,399 (97.1) | 34,460 (2.9) | |
| Source: The Results of the Constitutional Referendum in Somaliland | ||||
Aftermath
The President of Somaliland, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, described the referendum as having made Somaliland into a nation and put an end to any question of reuniting with Somalia. However despite the support for independence demonstrated in the referendum, no nation has recognised the independence of Somaliland since then, due to fears over ever increasing numbers of unsustainable small states and the African UnionAfrican Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
's opposition to the splitting of existing states.