Eng mohamed H.Farah

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Somaliland’s Democracy Will Remain Incomplete!

President Abdirahman Iro’s Annual National Address to the Parliament on 14th of April 2026 sent out one message: women’s inclusion is neither urgent nor central to the national agenda.

By Salma A. Sheikh

For more than three decades, Somaliland has been widely regarded as a political outlier in the Horn of Africa; a self-declared republic that emerged from the violence of civil war and the centralized repression of the regime led by Mohamed Siad Barre and went on to build a stable and procedurally democratic system. Elections have been held, although most delayed and a rebuking reputation is starting to overshadow them, power has changed hands peacefully, and institutions, though still a working progress, have endured.

However, Somaliland’s narrative of resilience and reputation of ‘peakon of hope’ in the Horn of Africa conceals a deeper and more troubling contradiction: the systematic exclusion of women from meaningful political power. An exclusion that is not incidental, but a structural one and further deepening.

The Gendered Foundations of the State
The political order established after 1991 was forged through clan-based negotiations designed to secure stability after conflict. While effective in preventing renewed violence, this settlement entrenched a narrow, male-dominated architecture of governance. Decision-making authority was concentrated in networks of male elders and political actors, leaving women, despite their central role in sustaining communities during and after the conflict, excluded from the processes that defined the new Somaliland.
This foundational exclusion did not fade with time; it now became institutionalized.

Democracy as Procedure, Not Representation
Somaliland’s democratic credentials are often measured through its electoral record: presidential elections, parliamentary contests, and local council votes. By these procedural standards, the system appears functional, even exemplary in a volatile region.

But democracy is not merely about elections; it is about representation. And in this respect, Somaliland’s record is stark, and here is why:
• No meaningful presence of women at the presidential or vice-presidential level.
• Persistent absence of women in political party leadership.
• Almost zero representation in parliament and local councils.
• Limited and often symbolic inclusion in ministerial roles.

What we have here is a political system that performs democracy procedurally while failing it substantively.

Power, Gatekeeping, and Deliberate Exclusion
The marginalization of women is not simply the product of culture or tradition. It reflects a political system in which access to power is tightly controlled.

Clan structures, party hierarchies, and patronage networks intersect to form a gatekeeping mechanism that favours continuity over inclusion. Entry into political leadership depends not only on competence or public support, but on access to networks that remain overwhelmingly male.

This is not an unintended outcome. It is a pattern sustained over decades; one that benefits those already in power.

The Strategic Use of “Tradition”
Cultural arguments are frequently invoked to justify Somaliland women’s exclusion from leadership. But in practice, “tradition” often functions less as an explanation and more as a tool of preservation.

Norms are interpreted and applied in ways that reinforce existing hierarchies. When reforms such as gender quotas or inclusive party structures are resisted in the name of culture, what is being protected is not tradition itself, but a particular distribution of power. This is not inevitability. It is political choice, which is collectively consented by the male elite.

A Deficit of Political Will
What makes this exclusion particularly striking is that it persists despite decades of awareness, advocacy, and evidence. The absence of women in leadership is neither hidden nor contested. The issue, therefore, is not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of genuine political will.

Male-dominated leadership structures have repeatedly failed to translate rhetorical support for women’s participation into meaningful reform. Instead, symbolic gestures, occasional appointments or public acknowledgments, have substituted for structural change. These gestures create the appearance of progress while leaving the underlying system intact.

This pattern is not only historical; it is ongoing. In President Abdirahman Iro’s Annual National Address to Parliament on 14th of April 2026, a moment that could have signalled a commitment to inclusive governance, none of the already limited number of female cabinet members were invited to accompany him. More tellingly, the address itself made no reference to women’s inclusion in government policy, nor did it acknowledge the systemic barriers women continue to face as a result of their exclusion. Was this a deliberately decision?

Such omissions are not trivial. They reinforce a political message: that women’s inclusion is neither urgent nor central to the national agenda.

The Cost of Excluding Half the Nation
The continued marginalization of women is not only unjust; it is detrimental to Somaliland’s long-term development.

A political system that excludes half its population limits its own capacity. It narrows the perspectives that inform policy, weakens institutional responsiveness, and constrains innovation. More fundamentally, it undermines the legitimacy of the democratic project itself.
A democracy that does not fully represent its people cannot claim to have fulfilled its promise.

Beyond Symbolism: The Need for Structural Reform
After more than three decades, incremental change has proven insufficient. The persistence of gender inequality in political leadership points to the need for deliberate, structural reform:

• Mechanisms that guarantee women’s representation rather than defer it.
• Political party reforms that open leadership pathways.
• Expanded access to resources for women seeking office.
• Accountability systems that make exclusion politically costly.

Such measures will not emerge without resistance. Systems of concentrated power rarely reform themselves voluntarily.

A Test of Democratic Integrity
Somaliland has achieved much in a challenging regional context. Its stability and electoral continuity are real accomplishments. However, the measure of a democracy is not only how power is transferred, but more so in how widely power is shared. Power IS NOT shared fairly!

The continued exclusion of women from leadership is not a peripheral issue. It is a defining test of Somaliland’s democratic integrity.

The question is no longer whether women are capable or deserving of leadership. That question has been answered.

The question is whether those who hold power are willing to change a system that has long served them at the expense of half the nation.

Until that question is answered through action rather than rhetoric, Somaliland’s democracy will remain incomplete.

Shaqo wacan mudane wasiir Bihi iman ege