63
The under-representation of women in both houses is considered an enduring problem, with
only one woman in the House of Representatives.
105
The issue is heavily influenced by the
predominance of clan politics which has meant that both women and the
Gabooye
fail to win
nominations for candidacy. In the case of women, traditional values dovetail with practical
considerations: which clan does a woman represent, hers or her husband’s?
106
Not only is a
woman’s loyalty to her clan questioned, but it is thought that women representatives whose clan
is indeterminate upsets a delicate balancing act between clans, and disrupts accountability
systems within clans.
107
Compounding, and in direct relation to this, funding for women
candidates is not forthcoming from the clan.
Actors
The 2001 constitution establishes the following roles and functions of each chamber of the
Somaliland parliament:
House of Representatives
Article 39 of the constitution describes the House of Representatives as “the first part of the
country’s legislature, passing laws and approving and overseeing the general political situation
and the direction of the country.”
The powers of the House of Representative are set out in Articles 53, 54 and 55 of the
constitution:
•
To approve all legislation (with the
Guurti
);
•
To oversee taxation, the budget and financial accounts;
•
To approve all the presidential appointments set out in the constitution;
•
To oversee government policies and programs;
•
To debate, comment on and approve government plans;
•
To give advice and recommendations to the government about the general direction of its
policies;
•
To summon ministers or officials as part of its oversight duty;
•
To ratify international agreements;
•
To declare states of emergency, and;
•
To impeach members of government.
The House of Representatives possesses an exclusive power in relation to financial issues,
confirmation of presidential appointments (other than that of the chairman of the Supreme
Court), and changes in the symbols of the nation. It holds a pre-eminent position in respect to
changes to the constitution under Article 126 of the constitution, and in the ratification of
105
The only female member of the
Guurti
, who inherited her seat from her late husband, resigned in April 2013
due to the wishes of her husband’s clan (which she was representing).
106
According to Abdirahman Yusuf Duale, Minister of Information, “Women have been largely excluded from
politics. One of the reasons relates to the clan system. Usually a woman is not seen as belonging to a clan. This is
because in a way she belongs to two clans – she has her own clan and also the clan of her husband. This means that
women play a different role to men in the clan system.” (After Borama, ARI, 2013).
107
After Borama: Concensus, Representation and Parliament in Somaliland
. Rep. London: Africa Research
Institute, 2013. Print. Policy Voices Ser.
