Garowe Online (Garowe)
10 July 2009
Hargeisa, Somalia — Mr. Jama Sweden, Somaliland's election commission chairman, was reportedly angered when President Riyale and the ruling UDUB party refused to sign an election agreement with the opposition parties, Kulmiye and UCID.
Independent sources said Mr. Sweden decided to resign after President Riyale supported the ruling UDUB party's refusal to sign the election agreement. It was not immediately clear why UDUB officials refused to sign the agreement.
But Somaliland Vice President Ahmed Yusuf Yasin spoke privately with Mr. Sweden, with sources saying the election boss withheld his resignation.
This development comes a day after UCID party's representative in the Somaliland election commission was voted out by lawmakers.
Somaliland is poised to hold presidential elections on September 27, 2009. President Riyale postponed the presidential election in May 2008 and April 2009, receiving one-year and six-month term extensions, respectively.
Located in northwestern Somalia, Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
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