Sub-national Democratisation: Policy steps, Processes and Considerations

The recent Puntland early local council elections have opened the door for other FMS to begin thinking about if and whether they too would like to advance one person one vote elections. In order to support policymakers start to think through what the process entails, this paper sets out the main electoral components and the types of policy options available, and their implications. It draws on the experiences of Somaliland and Puntland to date, and hopes to of set out procedural and political considerations that can help inform decision making on this important area. Specific areas it outlines include:

• The legal framework
• The electoral model
• State actors involved
• Involvement of non-state actors
• Voter registration
• Election preparation activities
• Consideration of policy challenges around harmonizing sub-national and federal Electoral processes
• Budget considerations

The paper forms part of SSF’s wider body of work supporting sub-national democratisation and sits alongside research papers such as; Risks, Challenges and Opportunities of Subnational Democratisation; Gender and Democratisation Guidance note and Puntland’s Path to the Polls.