View source for 1997 Somaliland presidential election

{{Short description|Indirect presidential elections held in Somaliland in 1997.}}
{{Infobox election
| country            = Republic of Somaliland
| type               = presidential 
| previous_election  = 1993 Somaliland presidential election
| previous_year      = [[1993 Somaliland presidential election|1993]]
| next_election      = 2003 Somaliland presidential election
| next_year          = 2003
| votes_for_election = 315 electors
| needed_votes       = 158
| turnout            = 
| election_date      = 23 February 1997
| flag_year          =

| image1             = Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal 1968.jpg
| candidate1         = '''[[Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal]]'''
| party1             = Independent 
| running_mate1      = 
| electoral_vote1    = '''223 '''
| percentage1        = '''70.79%'''

| image2             = {{CSS image crop|Image=Gudoomiyesuleiman.jpg|bSize = 220|cWidth = 100|cHeight = 150|oTop = 10|oLeft = 55}}
| candidate2         = [[Suleiman Mohamoud Adan]] 
| party2             = Independent 
| running_mate2      = 
| electoral_vote2    = 90
| percentage2        = 28.57%

| title              = President
| before_election    = [[Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal]]
| before_party       = Independent 
| after_party        = Independent 
| after_election     = [[Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal]]
}}{{Politics of Somaliland}}

Presidential elections were held in [[Somaliland]] on 23 February 1997, the third indirect presidential election since the country declared its independence from [[Somalia]] in 1991. The elections took place towards the end of the Hargeisa Conference, held between October 1996 and February 1997.<ref>Jhazbhay, I. “Somaliland: The Journey of Resistance, Reconciliation and Peace.” African Safety Promotion: A Journal of Injury and Violence Prevention, vol. 7, no. 1, 19 Jan. 2010, pp. 67–68., https://doi.org/10.4314/asp.v7i1.54603. </ref> The election resulted in incumbent President [[Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal]] being reelected to a four-year term by an electoral college of elders who made up the national guurti(council of elders).<ref>Bradbury, Mark, et al. “Somaliland: Choosing Politics over Violence.” Review of African Political Economy, vol. 30, no. 97, Sept. 2003, p. 461., https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2003.9659778.</ref> Egal's closest competitor was [[Ministry of Finance (Somaliland)|Minister of Finance]] [[Suleiman Mohamoud Adan]], who was also formerly in the cabinet of inaugural President [[ Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mofd.govsomaliland.org/article/former-ministers|title = Former Ministers}}</ref>

==Background==
[[File:Tuur-and-Egaal.jpg|thumb|After the 1993 election, the outgoing president, Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur, leaves the hall alongside newly elected president, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal. Tuur is being congratulated by an elder man on his decision to accept the outcome of the election and stand down peacefully after several days intense debate and negotiation.]]
Shortly after declaring its independence from [[Somalia]] in mid-1991, [[Somali National Movement|SNM]] Chairman [[Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur]] was elected Somaliland’s first provisional president by clan elders.<ref>Bradbury, Mark, et al. “Somaliland: Choosing Politics over Violence.” Review of African Political Economy, vol. 30, no. 97, Sept. 2003, p. 459., https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2003.9659778.</ref> He held the position until 16 May 1993, when clan elders elected [[Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal]] to serve a two-year term as president of the country's first post-war civilian government. In May 1995, Egal’s term was extended for another 18 months. New elections were held on 23 February 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://africanelections.tripod.com/somaliland.html|title=Elections in Somaliland}}</ref>

==Results==
<onlyinclude>{{Election results
|cand1=[[Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal]]|party1=Independent|votes1=223
|cand2=[[Suleiman Mohamoud Adan]]|party2=Independent|votes2=90
|cand3=Mohamed Hashi|party3=Independent|votes3=2
|invalid=
|electorate=
|source=[https://africanelections.tripod.com/somaliland.html African Elections]
}}</onlyinclude>

==Aftermath==

President Egal remained in office until his death in May 2002. He was succeeded in office by his Vice President, [[Dahir Riyale Kahin]], who would go on to win the first direct presidential elections in [[2003 Somaliland presidential election|2003]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Elections in Somaliland]]
[[Category:Indirect elections]]
[[Category:1997 elections in Africa|Somaliland]]
[[Category:1997 in Somaliland]]

{{Somaliland elections}}