The president of Puntland is the head of government and state of Puntland. The Presidency was elected by the House of Representatives of Puntland behind establishing the Puntland State in Somalia on August 1, 1998.
| President of Puntland | |
|---|---|
| Madaxweynaha Dawladda Puntland | |
 Seal of the Puntland State House | |
 Flag of Puntland | |
| Government of Puntland | |
| Style |
|
| Abbreviation | POTPOS |
| Reports to | The President |
| Residence | Presidential Palace, Garowe |
| Seat | Garowe |
| Appointer | Parliament of Puntland |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Puntland |
| Formation | August 01,1998 |
| First holder | Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed |
| Deputy | Vice President of Puntland |
| Website | plstate |
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History and establishment
In 1998, the state of Puntland declared its autonomy, and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who later served as the 8th President of Somalia, was chosen as the state's first president.
On 8 January 2024, President Said Abdullahi Deni was re-elected in the 2024 Puntland presidential election.[1][2]
Qualification eligibility
To be eligible as the president of Puntland, according to Article 78 of the Puntland Constitution.[3] candidate must meet the following criteria:
- Be a native of Puntland.
- Be a practicing Muslim.
- Be mentally sound.
- Be older than age 40.
- Not be married to a foreigner.
- Have educational qualifications, experience, and leadership credentials.
- Have lived in Puntland for the past two years.
- Not have been convicted by a court of a major crime.
Term of office
The president is selected for a term of five years. There are no term extensions for the president since Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. That extension caused unrest and crisis in Puntland for three years. Since 2005 Puntland presidential election, the presidential election should be held on January 8th after the president has completed their term in office, according to the Constitution of Puntland.[3] The term of office of the incumbent president continues until the president-elect takes office. Upon assuming office, the president takes the following oath infront of the House of Representatives of Puntland;[3]
I swear in the name of Allah that I will perform my duties honestly and in the best interest of the Nation, People, and Religion, and that I will abide by the Constitution and the other Laws of the Country.
List
In 2001, the first president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, whose term was expiring, was ousted from the capital by the opposition for refusing to step down. The opposition held a shir (council) in November and elected Jama Ali Jama as president. Therefore, Jama Ali Jama is sometimes considered the second president of Puntland.[4]
However, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed formed an army and, with Ethiopian support, expelled Jama Ali Jama from the capital in early 2002.[4] Therefore, today, Somali media usually don't count Jama Ali Jama a Puntland president, and report Mohamed Abdi Hashi as the second president.[5][6]
Therefore, Abdirahman Farole is the "fourth president," according to a document issued in 2018 by the Puntland Bureau of Statistics.[7] And the current president of Puntland, Said Deni, writes in his Facebook page until 2023, "The 6th and Current President Of the Puntland State of Somalia", and from 2024, "The 7th and Current President Of the Puntland State of Somalia."[8]
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) |
Term of office | Party | Vice president | Election | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 |  |
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) |
1 August 1998 | 30 June 2001 | 2 years, 333 days | Independent | Mohamed Abdi Hashi[9] | 1998 | |
| — | .jpg) |
Yusuf Haji Nur (?–2019) acting |
1 July 2001 | 14 November 2001 | 136 days | Independent | Vacant | — | |
| — | Jama Ali Jama (born ?) acting |
14 November 2001 | 8 May 2002 | 175 days | Independent | Ahmad Mahmud Gunle[10] | 2001 | ||
| (1) | |
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) |
8 May 2002 | 14 October 2004 | 2 years, 159 days | Independent | Mohamed Abdi Hashi[11] | — | |
| 2 |  |
Mohamed Abdi Hashi (1950s–2020) ' |
14 October 2004 | 8 January 2005 | 86 days | United Somali Party | Mohamed Ali Yusuf[12] | ~ | |
| 3 | .jpg) |
Mohamud Muse Hersi (1937–2017) |
8 January 2005 | 8 January 2009 | 4 years, 0 days | Independent | Hassan Dahir Afqurac[9][12] | 2005 | |
| 4 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Abdirahman Farole (born 1945) |
8 January 2009 | 8 January 2014 | 5 years, 0 days | Horseed | Abdisamad Ali Shire[13] | 2009 | |
| 5 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Abdiweli Gaas (born 1963) |
8 January 2014 | 8 January 2019 | 5 years, 0 days | UDAD | Abdihakim Amey[13] | 2014 | |
| 6 | .jpg) |
Said Deni (1967–) |
8 January 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 320 days | Kaah | Ahmed Elmi Osman[14] | 2019 | |
| Ilyas Osman Lugator | 2024 | ||||||||
Latest election
On January 8, 2024, Said Abdullahi Deni, the incumbent President of Puntland, was re-elected following an election held in Garoowe, the capital of Puntland.[15] Deni was declared as the winner in the third round of the election, securing 45 votes, while Guled Salah Barre, the runner-up candidate, received 21 votes.[16] Deni went on to become the first President of Puntland to be re-elected and sworn in, and he should have held office for another five-year term.[17]
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | Third round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Said Abdullahi Deni | Kaah | 35 | 53.03 | 40 | 60.61 | 45 | 68.18 | |
| Guled Salah Barre | Independent | 9 | 13.64 | 17 | 25.76 | 21 | 31.82 | |
| Abshir Omar Huruse | Mideeye | 8 | 12.12 | 9 | 13.64 | |||
| Hassan Shire Abgal | Kaah | 5 | 7.58 | |||||
| Ahmed Isse Awad | Independent | 4 | 6.06 | |||||
| Asad Osman Abdullahi | Mideeye | 3 | 4.55 | |||||
| Mohamed Abdirahman Farole | Horseed | 2 | 3.03 | |||||
| Total | 66 | 100.00 | 66 | 100.00 | 66 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Caasimada, Caasimada Garowe Online | ||||||||
References
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