108
The failure of the legal framework to reduce clan influences was echoed in a 2012 report by Dr.
Mohamed Fadal of the Social Research and Development Institute presented as part of the
second annual conference on Somaliland development. The report highlights the growing
prevalence, rather than reduction, of clan influence, at the expense of a national political
agenda:
The political associations and parties are progressively moving away from
national issues-based political agenda and now concentrate more on
institutionalizing clan mobilizations with no national agendas needed. This
would have negative influence in the stability, democratization, and state
building processes in Somaliland. In the Constitution and other laws, exclusive
clan parties are prohibited, however, there are no legal provisions which address
their activities to mobilize exclusive clan conferences and meetings and the use
of clan inciting rhetoric. A balance needs to be drawn between the national and
clan level activities of political entities.
163
There seems to have been little progress between the 2002 elections and the 2012 elections.
Contrast the above statement with a description of party platforms and clan influence during the
2002 elections, about which one author noted:
The absence of clear party platforms and messages meant that individual
candidates were left to run their own campaigns…The parliamentary elections
were more about establishing clan representation in government, for which
parties were the vehicle. The substantive focus of the election campaign,
therefore, was on the dynamics between the parties, clans and individual
candidates.
164
It is of interest to note that during assessment interviews and workshops, the parties themselves
recognized the need for improved platforms, though these were not discussed explicitly with
reference to clan influence on platforms. The influence of clan on political parties was
nevertheless a strong theme throughout the assessment (further discussed below). As one
interviewee put it, “You do need to understand some of the clans’ dynamics because, otherwise,
you might find yourself saying the wrong things…It’s the invisible camel in the room.”
Resources
Political parties are resourced primarily by personal donations, leadership donations, the
diaspora and member contributions, though these resources do not appear to be regularized.
Each political party receives 28 million shillings (approximately $4,000) per month from the
Somaliland government to run their offices and conduct regular activities. Members of
parliament receive a monthly salary but no funds for constituency visits.
Alliances and Strategies
There are few examples of alliances between or concerted strategies by political parties, such as
the recently signed agreement between Waddani and UCID, and political parties with other
163
Reflections and Lessons of Somaliland's Two Decades of Sustained Peace, Statebuilding and Democratization
.
Publication. Vol. 2. Hargeisa: SORADI, 2012. Print, p. 51.
164
Bradbury, Mark.
Becoming Somaliland
. Oxford: James Currey, 2008. Print, p. 206.
