On November 13, 2024, the incumbent president of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, lost to the soft-spoken, calm opponent, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi, known as Irro, the grey-haired. Irro was a former diplomat and speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland.
The election of the opposition candidate was a result of a coalition of many who were united by their opposition to the sitting president who used power to silence critics and was accused of committing serious human rights crimes in Las Anod during the war in 2023.
The coalition consists of his party, Waddani, the Kaah political party who defected from the ruling party, pro-democracy activists, religious groups, the business community and clan leaders. The objective of these groups differs. As he builds his cabinet, many are asking who will dominate the new cabinet.
Many of his party leaders want to secure important government positions. Different religious groups are fighting over who will get the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Itisam (Ictisaam in Somali), a Salafist group formed by Itihaad al-Islam members, is facing some competition from Islah, a Muslim Brotherhood group. According to sources close to the president-elect, Itisaam is more likely to get the ministry.
Different companies are vying for the ministries of energy and telecommunications.
The clan leaders would like the individuals they endorse to get positions.
How he will manage these groups is a crucial issue that is facing the president-elect and will be a litmus test of how he will steer the country.
