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SOMALILAND PRESIDENTIAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS LAW 2001

AND ITS FIVE AMENDMENTS IN 2009, 2010, 2011 AND 2012 (2)

27/11/2020 UPDATE

The numerous iterations of this Presidential and Local Elections Law from 2001 t0 2017 set out in this page have now been repealed, with effect from 10 October 2012, by the new Consolidated Elections Law covering the elections of the President, the House of Representatives and the nation-wide local councils, as well as the separate voter registration law. The new consolidated law is titled,  in Somali, Xeerka Doorashooyinka iyo Diiwaangelinta Cod-bixiyaasha, Xeer Lr. 19/2020, and has come into force on its gazetting on 19 October 2020.  

A copy of the Law in an A4 format is also available at this link: Xeerka Doorashooyinka 2020 .

No English translation of the new 2020 Consolidated Election Law is currently available and, for a quick overview of the contents of the Law, we set out here in Somali and English the Arrangements of the Articles of the 2020 Law.

We have retained this page for historical reference.

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PREVIOUS POSTINGS

28/02/2017:The sixth (6th) Amendments Schedule to the Presidential and Local Election Law (Law No. 20/2001) as gazetted on 04/02/2017 in Somali - Xeerka Doorashooyinka 2001 WKB & Kaabista Lifaaqa 6aad (2017).

As this new 6th Amendments Schedule sets out only the latest Amendments of the Law (albeit the most extensive of all the schedules), we have prepared an Unofficial Consolidation of all the changes and re-arrangements made together with provisions unaffected by the changes in one text in Somali- Xeerka Doorashooyinka M/tooyadda & G/Deeganka iyo WKBkiisi ilaa Lif. 6aad oo Isku Dhafan (oo aan Rasmi ahyan) Xeer Lr 20/2001 - Consolidated Unofficial Text (in Somali) 2017 which replaces the last 2012 Unofficial Consolidation (see below)

18/09/2012: Updated page by adding the English language version of the Consolidated copy of the 2001 Election Law (see below)

 05/09/2012: With the passing of two more Amendments Schedules in July and August 2012, The 2001 Presidential and Local Elections Law has now been amended five times since 2009 in the form of 5 different Amendment Schedules. Copies of the Law as originally passed and a separate copy of each of the five Amendments Schedules is available below.  However, as the polling date of 28 November  2012 approaches and with no official consolidation of the Law and all its amendments, I have prepared an unofficial Consolidation of the Law and all it amendments which is available below.  It will very difficult for laymen and lawyers alike to glean quickly from the original law and the 5 schedules what the current position is in respect of each article. The amendments affected 37 of the 66 Articles (57% of the Law) and some of the latter Schedules amended the previous amendments. This consolidation lists at the end all the articles affected by each schedule.

Somalilandlaw.com Consolidation of the 2001 Election Law and All it 5 Amendments to date (05/09/2012) & 18/09/2012:

• Xeerkii Doorashooyinka 20/2001 & Wax ka Beddelkiis oo isku Dhafan:   

PDF NUQUL       HTML NUQUL

• Somalilandlaw.com Consolidated copy of Election Law 20/2001 & Amendments                                            (in English -  PDF) (18/09/2012)

TEXTS OF THE ORIGINAL 2001 LAW & COPIES OF THE Six (as at Feb 2017)  AMENDMENTS SCHEDULES:

(In Somali - pdf )

• The 2001 Election Law (as originally passed).
• The 1st Amendments Schedule (2009).
• The 2nd Amendments Schedule (2010).
• The 3rd Amendments Schedule (2011).
• The 4th Amendments Schedule (2012).
• The 5th Amendments Schedule (2012).
• The 6th Amendments Schedule (2017).

22 December 2011: The 2001 Presidential & Local Elections Law (Amendments Schedule No.  3) 2011 has be  signed into Law by the President on 13 December 2011. The Presidential Decree (No. 0182/122011) dated 13 December 2011  sets out in full the two provisions of the amendment law as follows:

1. Article 22 of the Law has been replaced by a new Article 22 which introduces open lists rather the closed lists used previously.
2. Article 33(4) has been amended so that the 35 year age limit for local district council candidacy has been lowered to 25 years.

 May 2010:  Somaliland Presidential & Local Elections Law 2001 as amended in 2009 & 2010  Law No. 21/2001 - Unofficial Somalilandlaw.com Consolidation of the Law with all its Amendments:

(SEE ABOVE FOR THE UP TO DATE 2012 LAW]

Somali version: Wax ka beddelka Xeerkan ee 2009kii wuxuu ku qoranyahay qoraal buuran oo leexsan, kuwii 2010kii waxay ku qoranyihiin qoraal leexsan oo hoos ka xariiqan.

English version: This English language version of the Law is based on my 2001 translation with the new amendments added in italics.  Clauses/sub clauses or words which have been replaced entirely have been omitted.  I have also revised the previous extensive footnotes to the 2001 law published in the Somaliland Electoral Laws Handbook and left in this consolidation only those footnotes which are essential to understanding the text or which point to the other relevant laws or the 2010 Electoral Code of Conduct.  The footnotes do not appear in the Somali language unofficial consolidation of this law which is also available in the website. 

For more information about the other Electoral Laws and the Electoral Codes of Conduct, please see the  Somaliland Electoral Laws Page.