Somaliland, a Rare Example of Stability

Somaliland may not be an officially recognized country, but it seems to work better than many of its East African neighbors. Since it began its campaign for recognition in 1991, the would-be state in the northwestern corner of Somalia has held three fairly contested, democratic national elections, all of them peaceful. Even when the 2003 election was decided by around 80 votes, there was no violence. But as the country’s one million registered voters go to the polls today, many observers are worried that there could be trouble if the popular opposition party unseats the government. In other nearby countries, ruling parties have been known to tweak election results at the last moment. “I know this happens in Africa, but it won’t happen in Somaliland,” a spokesman for Somaliland’s government promised. “If we lose, we’ll give up power. The most important thing is peace.”