May 2021 marks an important milestone in modern Somaliland history. It will now be 30 years
since the country established its de facto statehood and reached its unilateral dissolution from
Somalia. In just the past three decades, an impressive amount of work has been achieved. In this
short time and with limited support from traditional and non-traditional donors, the country has
managed to demobilize clan militias, form a new unified government, facilitate a free market
economy, manage radical ultra-conservative political Islam, hold a national referendum for its
constitution and transition from being a clan-based electoral system to a multi-party system. There
is indeed much to celebrate and much to reflect on this election year. It will now be twenty years
since the Somaliland Referendum established the first one-person-one-vote in the country since
the late 1960s. This historic event coincides with the upcoming parliamentary and local elections
(the 7th elections). This year, Somaliland is not only celebrating past accomplishments but also
paying close attention to the future. The current elections are highly important as they are directly
tied to the future of the electoral process of the country.
