Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recent Parliamentary and Local Government elections in Somaliland; and what support the Government provided for those elections.

The UK commends the people and Government of Somaliland on the successful conduct of parliamentary and local council elections on 31 May. The transparent and peaceful nature of the balloting process is a testament to Somaliland's commitment to democratisation, security and stability. The election of minority clan and youth candidates is a welcome development. However the decreased number of women in elected office is a matter of concern and we call on the Somaliland Government, political parties and civil society organisations to take urgent steps to address the future representation of women in elected and non-elected public office. The UK has played a lead role as the largest donor to the election process, contributing £1.97 million to support core election costs and also funding a Limited International Election Observer Mission.