Since its establishment in 1998, the Puntland State of Somalia has had a clear objective: to transition from a clan-based system to a democratic multiparty system rooted in the one-person, one-vote (OPOV) principle. Despite over two decades, the journey towards fully institutionalized democracy, ending clan-centric governance, has seen both strides and setbacks.
This policy paper aims to share the lessons gleaned from Puntland’s local government elections, informed by a comprehensive analysis of the electoral process by the Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC) and public election data, academic research, and stakeholder interviews. It aims to provide actionable policy recommendations for refining future electoral endeavors in Puntland and guiding other federal member states in Somalia as they embark on similar democratic ventures.
