2019 Puntland Presidential Election
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The 2019 Puntland presidential election was held on 8 January 2019 in
Garowe Garowe (, ,Puntland state of Somalia. The fourth such vote to be held in the state since its establishment 1998, it followed the election of a new Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speakers on January 04, 2019 by the 66-seat bicameral legislature. Candidates included officials from the incumbent Puntland administration, former government ministers and prominent local entrepreneurs. The ballot saw the election of former somali minister of planning
Said Abdullahi Deni Said Abdullahi Deni (, ; born 2 July 1967), also known as Said Deni, is the current president of Puntland (a region of Somalia). He was first elected on January 8, 2019. Five years later, on February 8, 2024, he was reelected. Said was born i ...
as the sixth
president of Puntland The president of Puntland is the head of government and state of Puntland. The Presidency was elected by the House of Representatives of Puntland behind establishing the Puntland State in Somalia on August 1, 1998. History and establishment In ...
, narrowly defeating General
Asad Osman Abdullahi Asad Osman Abdullahi (, born January 25, 1983; ); also known as "Asad Diano" is the chief of the Somali Police Force appointed on 26 September 2024, Diano was a founding member of the political party Mideeye and the former director general of t ...
. Parliament of Puntland concurrently elected
Ahmed Elmi Osman Ahmed Elmi Osman 'Karash' (, ) Ahmed Karaash is a former Vice President of Puntland from 8 January 2019 to 8 January 2024. Personal life Osman belongs to the Naleye Ahmed sub-subsection of the Mohamoud Garad branch of the Dhulbahante Harti ...
as Puntland's new vice president in place of
Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar (; , ) Abdihakin Amey, is a former Vice President of Puntland from 8 January 2014 to 8 January 2019 and was replaced by Ahmed Elmi Osman. Personal life He was the first vice-president of Puntland from the Ararsam ...
.


Background

2019 Puntland presidential election, with incumbent
Abdiweli Gaas Abdiweli Mohamed Ali GaasBriefi ...
in a tight race, holds significant implications for both regional and federal politics in
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 ...
. The outcome will signal either a continuation of tensions between federal member states and the
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
or a potential shift towards cooperation. This election was served a crucial precursor to the 2022 federal elections, that was shaped Somalia's political crisis 2022.


Campaigns

On January 6, 2019, the
Puntland House of Representatives Vetting Committee Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its foun ...
released the final list of candidates competing in the election on January 8, 2019. According to a press release issued by the Vetting Committee, 21 candidates had registered to compete for the position of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
, while 11 others were competing for the position of
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
. This list was the last one officially registered, meeting all requirements, and the candidates were scheduled to address the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
before the election. The highly watched election was scheduled to be held on the Tuesday of that week, with heavy security in place in the administrative capital of
Garowe Garowe (, ,Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...
.


Candidates

Major candidates were considered to be aligned with the former President of Puntland, Abdirahman Faroole, who at the time was a member of the
upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
of the Somali Parliament and vehemently opposed the incumbent President,
Abdiweli Gaas Abdiweli Mohamed Ali GaasBriefi ...
. * Farah Ali Shire, emerged as one of the most prominent candidates for the Puntland presidential election. He served as the finance minister of Puntland during Abdirahman Faroole's presidency. *
Said Abdullahi Deni Said Abdullahi Deni (, ; born 2 July 1967), also known as Said Deni, is the current president of Puntland (a region of Somalia). He was first elected on January 8, 2019. Five years later, on February 8, 2024, he was reelected. Said was born i ...
, a former member of the Somali parliament and a business associate of Senator Farole, emerged as one of the most prominent candidates for change. Additionally, he served as the Planning Minister of Somalia during the presidency of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. *
Khalif Isse Mudan Khalif Isse Mudan () was a Somali politician and Puntland Minister of Security and DDR from 2011 to 2014, and former Somali Air Force Commander. He died in Ankara on November 24, 2020 due to COVID-19. Personal life Mudan was born in 1953 in Boo ...
, was the former Puntland minister of security and DDR during presidency of Abdirahman Farole. * Ali Isse Abdi, was enjoyed significant support from Senator Abdirahman Farole, and his candidacy had a substantial impact on the voting process. This was because most members of parliament in Puntland were elected based on the clan system. * Asad Osman Abdullahi, the young Bridget general who recently resigned from the command of PSF to run for the presidency of Puntland, it was expected he was a runner-up president elected Said Deni.


Results


President

Said Abdullahi Deni Said Abdullahi Deni (, ; born 2 July 1967), also known as Said Deni, is the current president of Puntland (a region of Somalia). He was first elected on January 8, 2019. Five years later, on February 8, 2024, he was reelected. Said was born i ...
emerged as the new
president of puntland The president of Puntland is the head of government and state of Puntland. The Presidency was elected by the House of Representatives of Puntland behind establishing the Puntland State in Somalia on August 1, 1998. History and establishment In ...
, defeating
Asad Osman Abdullahi Asad Osman Abdullahi (, born January 25, 1983; ); also known as "Asad Diano" is the chief of the Somali Police Force appointed on 26 September 2024, Diano was a founding member of the political party Mideeye and the former director general of t ...
in the final round. Deni secured 35 votes from the 66 members of the Puntland House of Representatives, while Asad Diano received 31 votes. Incumbent president
Abdiweli Gaas Abdiweli Mohamed Ali GaasBriefi ...
was eliminated in the first round after receiving only 8 votes.


Vice president

Ahmed Elmi Osman (Karaash) was elected as the
vice president of puntland The vice president of the Puntland State of Somalia (VPOTP) serves as the secondary head of the Government of Puntland after the President of Puntland. The office was established following the formation of Puntland on August 1, 1998, and is held ...
after he defeated Abdi Ibrahim Warsame Qawdhan in the third round. Karaash received 47 votes from 66 members of the Puntland House of Representatives, while Abdi Qawdhan was given 19 votes. In the first round, former vice president Abdihakim Amey was eliminated after receiving only 8 votes.


Reactions

In the aftermath of the Puntland presidential election, the Officer-in-Charge of the
United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) was a special political mission of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Its primary purpose was to assist the Federal Government of Somalia in achieving p ...
and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia,
Raisedon Zenenga Raisedon Zenenga is a Zimbabwean diplomat who has been serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Deputy Special Representative of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Soma ...
extended congratulations to
Said Abdullahi Deni Said Abdullahi Deni (, ; born 2 July 1967), also known as Said Deni, is the current president of Puntland (a region of Somalia). He was first elected on January 8, 2019. Five years later, on February 8, 2024, he was reelected. Said was born i ...
and
Ahmed Elmi Osman Ahmed Elmi Osman 'Karash' (, ) Ahmed Karaash is a former Vice President of Puntland from 8 January 2019 to 8 January 2024. Personal life Osman belongs to the Naleye Ahmed sub-subsection of the Mohamoud Garad branch of the Dhulbahante Harti ...
for their respective victories as
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
and Vice-President of Puntland. Mr. Zenenga also commended Puntland’s electoral commission for organizing and executing a transparent, peaceful, free, and fair electoral process. He expressed anticipation in working closely with President Deni's administration and praised outgoing President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali ‘Gaas’ and his administration for facilitating a peaceful transfer of power and creating conditions conducive to the success of the electoral process.


References

{{Puntland elections Presidential elections in Puntland
Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...
Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...
2019 in Puntland