The people of Somaliland went to the polls on 26th June 2010 to elect the President and Vice
President of the Republic for the second time in a period of 50 years, counting from the date of
independence in 1960. The election dates were extended several times and controversies and serious confrontations almost overwhelmed efforts to hold the elections. Less than a year earlier, in September 2009, public demonstrations to pressure the government to hold the elections had resulted in the death of innocent citizens. Following the intervention of friendly governments, a six-point agreement was endorsed by the contesting political parties and approved by the House of Elders, which finally paved the way for the necessary preparations for the elections and peaceful voting on Election Day. From 2004 to 2008 the Academy has been fully engaged in the implementation of the two phases of the Dialogue for Peace programme which ended with the production of publications and films on the following three areas: Democratisation, Decentralisation, Resource-based conflicts. This publication explains the process and outcomes of the research.
