Presidential elections were held in

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

on 23 February 1997, the third indirect presidential election since the country declared its independence from

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

in 1991. The elections took place towards the end of the Hargeisa Conference, held between October 1996 and February 1997. The election resulted in incumbent President

Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal (, ; August 15, 1928 – May 3, 2002) was a Somali politician who served as the president of Somaliland from 1993 to his death in 2002. He previously served as the prime minister of the State of Somaliland between 26 ...

being reelected to a four-year term by an electoral college of elders who made up the national guurti(council of elders). Egal's closest competitor was

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

Suleiman Mohamoud Adan Suleiman Mohamoud Adan (, ), also known as Saleebaan Gaal is a Somaliland politician and the current speaker of Somaliland House of Elders since 28 August 2004. Biography Suleiman Mohamoud Adan Yusuf was born in 1937. He belongs to the Solom ...

, who was also formerly in the cabinet of inaugural President Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur.

Background

Shortly after declaring its independence from

in mid-1991, SNM Chairman

Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur (, ) (var. "Tur", "Tour", meaning "Hunchback") (November 6, 1931 - November 8, 2003) was a Somali politician who served as the first President of Somaliland from 1991 to 1993. Tuur previously served as the Chairman of ...

was elected Somaliland’s first provisional president by clan elders. He held the position until 16 May 1993, when clan elders elected

Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal (, ; August 15, 1928 – May 3, 2002) was a Somali politician who served as the president of Somaliland from 1993 to his death in 2002. He previously served as the prime minister of the State of Somaliland between 26 ...

to serve a two-year term as president of the country's first post-war civilian government. In May 1995, Egal’s term was extended for another 18 months. New elections were held on 23 February 1997.

Results

Aftermath

President Egal remained in office until his death in May 2002. He was succeeded in office by his Vice President,

Dahir Riyale Kahin Dahir Riyale Kahin (, ; born 12 March 1952) is a Somaliland politician who was President of Somaliland from 2002 to 2010. He previously served as a senior officer in the National Security Service in Somalia, and he was Vice President of Somal ...

, who would go on to win the first direct presidential elections in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

References

Elections in Somaliland Indirect elections

1997 in Somaliland {{Somaliland elections