Eyl councillors elect mayor and deputy mayor nearly a year after direct vote

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Saturday September 3, 2022

Garowe (HOL) - Puntland's Eyl district Councillors were sworn in on Saturday nearly ten months after winning in a historic 'one-person,one-vote local election and elected Faisal Khalif Waeys as the mayor and Abdirisak Kilwe Yusuf as deputy mayor.

Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission's (TPEC) chairperson, Abdirisak A Said, confirmed the results and congratulated Waeys, Yusuf and local councillors.

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Puntland's Director of Communications, Abdiwali Gooni, was among the first public officials to offer congratulations.

"Members of Eyl Council have elected Faisal Khalif Waeys as the new mayor of Eyl, while Abdirisak Kilwe Yusuf has been elected deputy mayor. I congratulate the people of Eyl district for leading the way toward instituting a system of universal suffrage elections across #Puntland".

Waeys, a member of the Kaah party, won the mayoral race resoundingly, receiving 26 of the possible 27 votes from councillors.

Puntland President Deni was reportedly in Eyl before the election to mediate a dispute between two of his party members who were both vying for mayor.

Three candidates ran for the deputy mayor, including two from the Mideeye party, but Kaah's lone candidate, Abdirisak Kilwe Yusuf, won.

One of Mideeye's leaders, Ahmed Syed Noor, claimed the outcome would undermine Puntland's fledgling direct democracy.

The Minister of the Interior of Puntland, Mohamed Abdirahman Dhabancad, recognized the election result and declared Yusuf the winner after receiving 15 votes.

Puntland residents voted for the first time in October for their local representatives. The Kaah party, led by Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, won big in the elections, garnering 40% of the vote and nearly half of the seats in Eyl.

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