Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with authorities in Somaliland on the (a) schedule for free, fair and peaceful Presidential elections on 13 November 2022, (b) importance of an independent electoral authority and freedom of peaceful assembly and protest, and (c) recent actions against opposition politicians in that country.

The UK remains committed to free and fair elections which are essential components of a functioning democracy. As part of our ongoing dialogue with the Somaliland authorities, we have consistently underlined the importance of agreement on the sequencing of presidential and political parties elections, due later this year. We have also underlined the need for voter registration to be allowed to commence as soon as possible, to avoid the risk of technical delays later in the year. The UK has assisted the Somaliland National Elections Commission, providing £1.97 million to upgrade voter registration systems and support election observation.

We have asked the government to urgently investigate the violent incidents that occurred during the protests in Hargeisa on 9 June. With international partners, the UK issued a statement locally, expressing concern, urging restraint and de-escalation, and calling for dialogue to reach consensus on the election roadmap. We have also engaged the government and opposition in Hargeisa.