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composition of the National Election Commission. Fully realizing the independence of the
National Electoral Commission was cited by both opposition parties as of high importance.
One participant said: “[The National Electoral Commission] has no voice.”
Legislative Representation – Medium Priority
Kulmiye and UCID had the most concerns over their legislative representation in parliament.
There is currently some confusion about UCID members of parliament who had allegiance to
Waddani when it split from the UCID. Waddani has not yet participated in a parliamentary
election, though it was established as the third national party in the 2012 local council elections.
Until parliamentary elections are held in 2015, the members of parliament who belong to
political parties that are no longer recognized or who have changed parties are in a legal
vacuum.
Two-Way Constituent Outreach
A high priority for two parties was for their members of parliament to conduct constituent
outreach. Participants expressed frustration that members of parliament do not visit their
constituencies. One participant noted that members of parliament should not be “afraid” of
their constituents. Both parties’ participants also noted that their members of parliament need to
advocate for the interests of their regions and constituents, particularly when it comes to the
government budget.
Suggestions to address this issue included the opening of party district offices and increasing the
knowledge of voters about their rights with regards to their members of parliament.
Party Discipline
Party discipline was primarily a concern of a single party. The highest priority expressed by
participants was the need for members of parliament to understand and be accountable to party
regulations. Participants noted that in the next election there should be stronger vetting to select
candidates that are loyal to the party, and to ensure that the candidates understand the party
platform. A member from another party noted that one of its members of parliament had not
only not understood the party platform, but actively supported a policy that was contrary to the
party platform.
Participants also emphasized the need for members of parliament to be active members of the
political parties, such as by participating in party meetings and paying membership dues.
Lastly, participants prioritized the need to formalize the relationship between members of
parliament and their parties. A clear challenge to this, as noted by participants, is the influence
of clans on candidate selection.
Legislative Capacity of Members of Parliament
Two of the parties particularly mentioned that members of parliament need to understand their
roles and responsibilities in parliament. Participants suggested that members of parliament
receive training on their responsibilities as party members while in parliament and that parties
strengthen candidate selection processes. As noted above, a challenge to improving member of
parliament selection processes is the dependence on clans.
