oD support open standards:

About Peter Hurst

Peter Hurst has monitored elections in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union.

Articles by Peter Hurst

Tuesday 4th October

Somaliland's democratic lesson

Peter Hurst, 4 October 2005
An unsung and unrecognised east African statelet has just held a democratic vote that impresses election observer Peter Hurst.

The first notable feature of Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital, is the vast number of blue plastic bags littering the fields outside the airport. They are the by-product of the Somalis’ pastime of chewing qat, a mild stimulant plant. Roadside vendors sell bunches for $1.50 a bag and customers then discard the packaging. It is one of the smaller problems Somaliland has to deal with on its way to becoming a functioning state.

Syndicate content