Opposition to protest against Somaliland poll result

The main opposition party in the self-declared republic of Somaliland says it will protest against the results of last week's presidential elections by peaceful means.

The presidential candidate for the Kulmiye (Solidarity) Party, Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo - the main challenger to incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin - told IRIN that his party "categorically rejects" the results of last week's elections "as they have been announced".

Silanyo, however, stressed that his party would not do anything "to compromise the integrity, peace and stability this country [Somaliland] has achieved".

"We will, however, resort to peaceful means to rectify the injustice done to us," he said.

The Somaliland Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday declared Kahin of the Unity of Democrats Party (UDUB) the winner of Somaliland's first multiparty presidential election, which was held on 14 April.

According to the SEC, Kahin obtained 205,595 votes, or 42.08 percent of the votes as opposed to 205,515, or 42.07 percent, for Silanyo, out of a total vote of 498,639 votes cast. About 800,000 people were eligible to vote.

Silanyo said Kulmiye won the elections, but the results were changed "by last minute tampering with the figures".

He maintained that although the people had voted freely, the elections had not been conducted "fairly". Silanyo accused the ruling UDUB party of mobilising public resources "to benefit them [the party]".

"New money was printed. Civil servants were fired because they or their families were seen as sympathisers of Kulmiye," he asserted. "Newly appointed ministers were dispatched to manipulate the elections in their respective regions."

Meanwhile, a member of the SEC denied that the results had been influenced by any irregularities. Ahmad Adan Ali Godir told IRIN that the elections were "free and fair".

"All parties had agents present at each counting place who countersigned each result, so there was no rigging," he said.