Puntland State reverses plan for direct universal suffrage

deni

Somalia state Puntland’s President Said Abdullahi Deni. PHOTO | COURTESY

Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland has rolled back plans to hold next year's parliamentary polls via a one-person one-vote system, opting instead to continue with a complex, clan-based ballot.

In May, the oil-rich region staged its first direct polls in more than half a century during local council elections, a move hailed by international partners as historic.