Puntland President Abdullahi Deni has backed down from his push for one-person, one-vote elections, signaling a sigh of relief in the easterly state after several months of tensions that erupted into full-fledged fighting in the middle of this year , killing over 30 people.
The challenged leader, who has been under intense pressure from the opposition, clan elders, and even the international community, announced Wednesday night that the state parliamentarians will be elected by clan elders.
This contradicts his earlier assertion that the 66 members of the Puntland state assembly would be elected directly by the electorate.
The Puntland Electoral Commission (PEC) had also maintained this stance.
However, the opposition, which has accused Deni of attempting to extend his tenure, has demanded that the MPs be chosen by clan elders, as has been the case in the past. They claimed that there had been inadequate preparations for state-wide elections.
The PEC set the elections for February 8 in its late October directive, but opposition demanded that they be held on January 8, when Deni’s legally stipulated term ends. Western diplomats have also pressed Deni to accept the clan-based structure.
Last week, the UK ambassador to Somalia, Mike Nithavrianakis, paid a visit to Garowe and met with Deni, opposition leaders, and civil society  representatives.
Declaring Deni’s decision a “step to strengthen the stability and political development of Puntland and Somalia in general,â€Â Villa Somalia applauded Deni’s  action.
The Puntland state parliament amended the constitution in June to allow universal voting in elections, which sparked demonstrations that ended in violent altercations
