Report of The Brenthurst Foundation: Somaliland Election Monitoring Mission

Mission members were present in Somaliland from 26 May 2021 until 2 June 2021.

The team spent the days ahead of elections in an intensive set of preparatory meetings with election officials from the leadership of the National Election Commission to technical staff involved in voter verification. Meetings also took place with local observers under the Somaliland Non-State Actors Forum (SONSAF) umbrella and the Limited International Election Observation Mission (LIEOM) funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom. The team also met with the SOLJA, an organisation representing Somaliland journalists, and with opposition groups.

Limited observation of campaigning took place in the run up to voting.

For election day, the team divided itself among five key centres accounting for more than 70% of the voting population with two-person teams in each centre visiting a number of polling stations. The stations were chosen to ensure a geographic spread, and a rural-urban mix. Teams were asked to observe the opening and closing of a particular station, but to visit others in the interim to monitor proceedings.

The teams formally employed two forms to ensure consistent reporting on polling station procedures and the proper recording of incidents which might have affected the outcome. Examples of both forms are attached to this report.

A rapporteur was given responsibility for compiling regional reports on the events of election day. The final report was adopted on 1 June 2021.