Somaliland: A New Democracy in the Horn of Africa?

With a constitutionally-based and popularly elected government, the Republic of Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, has a democratic system matched by few other countries in Africa and the Middle East. However, Somaliland's independence has not been recognised internationally. Mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of African political economy 2007-09, Vol.34 (113), p.461-476
Main Authors: Hansen, Stig Jarle, Bradbury, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
African studies
Clans
Competition
Democracy
Democratic regimes
Democratization
Economic conditions
Government
Horn of Africa
Independence
Media
Middle East
Parliaments
Political candidates
Political Change
Political conditions
Political Development
Political economy
Political elections
Political influence
Political parties
Political regimes
Political Representation
Political Systems
Secession
Social Change
Somalia
Studies
Voting
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Summary:With a constitutionally-based and popularly elected government, the Republic of Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, has a democratic system matched by few other countries in Africa and the Middle East. However, Somaliland's independence has not been recognised internationally. Moreover developments in neighbouring countries suggest that people in Somaliland will face serious challenges in entrenching a democratic political system. This article takes as its point of departure Georg Sorensen's ( 1998 :3) definition of democracy. His definition is employed, together with the history of elections in the region, to explore the challenges people in Somaliland face in establishing a democratic political system, in this sense the article aims to explore the challenges of the future, rather than analyse the processes of the past. These include, among others, the shift from a clan-based form of political representation and competition to one based on political partiesas forums for political representation and competition, the urban-based nature of political discourse in a still predominantly rural society, and the absence of a strong independent media.
ISSN:0305-6244
1740-1720
DOI:10.1080/03056240701672585