Stockholm, Sweden/Rome, Italy, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – Senator Marco Perduca, UNPO treasurer and Member of the Italian Senate, and Ms Birgitta Ohlsson MP, Member of the Swedish Parliament and Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs of the Liberal Party, have written an open letter to the government of Somaliland regarding the ongoing electoral situation.
While voicing their continued support of Somaliland's progress on good governance and democracy, Perduca and Ohlsson also express concern over the repeated delays of the presidential election and urge the leadership to ensure that they are both forthcoming and fair.
Read the letter below:
November 2009
The Swedish Parliament
Stockholm, Sweden
The Italian Parliament
Senate of the Republic
Rome, Italy
Dear Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin, President of Somaliland
Dear Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi, Speaker Somaliland Parliament
Dear Mr. Sh Ahmed Sh Nuuh, Deputy Speaker house of Elders
Dear Mr. Mohamed Mahamoud Sillanyo, Party Chairman, Kulmiye
Dear Mr. Faisal Ali Warabe, Party chairman, Welfare party
Dear all,
We are great friends of Somaliland and have followed the political development in your country closely for many years. Somaliland's government has created stability and democratic governance when Somalia has remained in armed conflict. Somaliland has for good reasons been called “Peace Paradise in Africa”. However, Somaliland's gains are currently under threat.
Somaliland has spent nearly twenty years trying hard to build stability and democracy in one of the most troubled regions on the African continent. Somaliland was a beacon of light and served as a role model for its neighboring countries. But all your gains are at risk if the forthcoming election would not be fair and free. The repeated delay of Somaliland's presidential election threatens the foundations of its emerging democratic system.
We advice all stakeholders to work together in order to save democratic rule in Somaliland. We hope for many years of progress towards democratic governance and that a general respect for human rights will be consolidated, not wasted.
We who embrace the success Somaliland already has achieved, wish you all the best for the coming elections.
Yours Sincerely,
Birgitta Ohlsson
Member of the Swedish Parliament and Spokesperson Foreign Affairs, Liberal Party
Email: birgitta.ohlsson@riksdagen.se birgitta.ohlsson@riksdagen.se
Marco Perduca
Senator of the Italian Senate and member of Senate Foreign Commission
Email: marco.perduca@senato.it marco.perduca@senato.it
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