President of Puntland explained

Post:President
Body:Puntland
Incumbent:Said Abdullahi Dani
Native Name:Madaxweynaha Dawladda Puntland
Flag:Flag of Puntland.svg
Incumbentsince:8 January 2024
Termlength:Five years, renewable once
First:Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Formation:August 01,1998
Appointer:Parliament of Puntland
Insignia:Puntland President.svg
Insigniacaption:Seal of the Puntland State House
Flagborder:yes
Flagcaption:Flag of Puntland
Department:Government of Puntland
Reports To:The President
Residence:Presidential Palace, Garowe
Seat:Garowe
Deputy:Vice President of Puntland
Style:
  • His Excellency
  • Honorable
Abbreviation:POTPOS
Constituting Instrument:Constitution of Puntland

The president of Puntland is the head of government and state of Puntland. The Presidency was elected by the House of Representatives of Puntland behind establishing the Puntland State in Somalia on August 1, 1998.

History and establishment

In 1998, the state of Puntland declared its autonomy, and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who later served as the 8th President of Somalia, was chosen as the state's first president.

On 8 January 2024, President Said Abdullahi Deni was re-elected in the 2024 Puntland presidential election.[1] [2]

Qualification eligibility

To be eligible as the president of Puntland, according to Article 78 of the Puntland Constitution.[3] candidate must meet the following criteria:

Term of office

The president is selected for a term of five years. There are no term extensions for the president since Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. That extension caused unrest and crisis in Puntland for three years. Since 2005 Puntland presidential election, the presidential election should be held on January 8th after the president has completed their term in office, according to the Constitution of Puntland. The term of office of the incumbent president continues until the president-elect takes office. Upon assuming office, the president takes the following oath infront of the House of Representatives of Puntland;

List

In 2001, the first president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, whose term was expiring, was ousted from the capital by the opposition for refusing to step down. The opposition held a shir (council) in November and elected Jama Ali Jama as president. Therefore, Jama Ali Jama is sometimes considered the second president of Puntland.[4]

However, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed formed an army and, with Ethiopian support, expelled Jama Ali Jama from the capital in early 2002.[4] Therefore, today, Somali media usually don't count Jama Ali Jama a Puntland president, and report Mohamed Abdi Hashi as the second president.[5] [6]

Therefore, Abdirahman Farole is the "fourth president," according to a document issued in 2018 by the Puntland Bureau of Statistics.[7] And the current president of Puntland, Said Deni, writes in his Facebook page until 2023, "The 6th and Current President Of the Puntland State of Somalia", and from 2024, "The 7th and Current President Of the Puntland State of Somalia."[8]

PortraitName
Term of officePartyVice presidentElection
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
1 August 199830 June 2001bgcolor=IndependentMohamed Abdi Hashi[9] 1998
Yusuf Haji Nur
1 July 200114 November 2001bgcolor=IndependentVacant
Jama Ali Jama
14 November 20018 May 2002bgcolor=IndependentAhmad Mahmud Gunle[10] 2001
(1)Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
8 May 200214 October 2004bgcolor=IndependentMohamed Abdi Hashi[11]
2Mohamed Abdi Hashi
14 October 20048 January 2005bgcolor=United Somali PartyMohamed Ali Yusuf~
3Mohamud Muse Hersi
8 January 20058 January 2009bgcolor=IndependentHassan Dahir Afqurac[12] 2005
4Abdirahman Farole
8 January 20098 January 2014HorseedAbdisamad Ali Shire[13] 2009
5Abdiweli Gaas
8 January 20148 January 2019UDADAbdihakim Amey2014
6Said Deni
8 January 2019IncumbentKaahAhmed Elmi Osman[14] 2019
Ilyas Osman Lugator2024

Latest election

See main article: 2024 Puntland presidential election. On January 8, 2024, Said Abdullahi Deni, the incumbent President of Puntland, was re-elected following an election held in Garoowe, the capital of Puntland.[15] Deni was declared as the winner in the third round of the election, securing 45 votes, while Guled Salah Barre, the runner-up candidate, received 21 votes.[16] Deni went on to become the first President of Puntland to be re-elected and sworn in, and he should have held office for another five-year term.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-06-30 . Somalia: Said Abdullahi Deni re-elected in Puntland after tough contest . 2024-01-23 . Garowe Online . en.
  2. Web site: Ex-Somali Minister elected as new president of Puntland State . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523030111/https://mareeg.com/somalia-puntland-elect-former-federal-minister-for-planning-and-international-cooperatio-saed-deni-in-garowe/. 2022-05-23. 2019-01-08. mareeg.com.
  3. https://puntlandparliament.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Dastuuurka-Puntland-min.pdf
  4. Web site: Markus Virgil Hoehne . 2015 . Between Somaliland and Puntland . 2021-08-22. 62.
  5. News: Jubbaland oo ka hadashay geerida madaxweynihii 2aad ee Puntland . garoweonline.com . 2020-12-07 . 2022-09-18 .
  6. News: Madaxweynihii 2aad Ee Puntland Oo Geeriyooday . horseedmedia.net . 2020-07-12 . 2022-09-18 .
  7. Web site: Department of Statistics . 2018 . PUNTLAND STATE OF SOMALIA - Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation . 2021-09-12.
  8. Web site: Said Abdullahi Deni . H.E Said Abdullahi Deni facebook page . Facebook. 2021-09-12.
  9. Web site: Somali Family Services.
  10. Book: Africa South of the Sahara 2003 . 2003 . The Gresham Press . 1-85743-131-6 . 32nd . Old Woking, Surrey . Google Books.
  11. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Report Submitted to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives and Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate by the Department of State in Accordance with Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as Amended . Department of State . September 2005 . U.S. Government Printing Office . Google Books.
  12. Web site: Puntland State of Somalia – Elections and Administrative Structure . plstate.so . Puntland State.
  13. Puntland's Political Transformation: Taking the First Steps toward Democratic Elections . Puntland Development Research Center . Interpeace Regional Office for Eastern and Central Africa . June 2015 . Garowe . 978-9966-1665-3-1.
  14. Web site: January 9, 2019 . Somalia: UN Congratulates Puntland Region's Newly-Elected President. 2022-07-30 . UN News.
  15. Web site: Deni oo mar kale loo doortay madaxweynaha Puntland . 2024-09-07 . www.voasomali.com.
  16. Web site: 2020-06-30 . Siciid Deni oo markale loo doortay Madaxweynaha Puntland . 2024-09-07 . Garowe Online . en.
  17. Web site: Deni oo mar kale loo doortay madaxweynaha Puntland . 2024-09-07 . www.voasomali.com.