Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, is holding its presidential election on Wednesday.

Under international law, Somaliland belongs to Somalia. However, in 1991, the region at the northwestern tip of Somalia unilaterally declared its independence even though its sovereignty claims have remained unrecognized by the international community.

"The Somaliland elections are set as planned," Mohamed Warsame Dualeh, former presidential advisor and current member of the Somaliland People's Party (SPP), told DW.

"The National Election Commission (NEC) did all the preparations exceptionally well," he said, adding that the public is ready to vote and there are "no reports of violence or confrontations in any part of the country."

"This election will end two years of political instability," according to Mubarak Abdulahi Daljir, a politician, economist and vice president of Admas University in the capital Hargeisa. Admas has its main campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

"It will further improve Somaliland's democratic credentials, and it will improve Somaliland's image in the international arena," Daljir told DW.

Somaliland has become the center of a major dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia.

In January, Somaliland's leader, Muse Bihi Abdi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Under the deal, Ethiopia would lease land from Somaliland to build a naval base, while Ethiopia would use Somaliland's Berbera port for international trade.........

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