The Role of Traditional Elders in Electoral Dispute Resolutions in Somalia: A Case for Puntland

The Somali civilisation is based on a kinship structure in which every clan has a traditional clan elder whose primary responsibility is to mediate disputes and promote harmony both inside and across clans, and, in this modern nation-state era, the traditional clan elder, or Nabadoon (peace-seeker)/Aakil (wise man), took the central stage in state building. On that note, this study was to assess the role of traditional elders in electoral dispute resolution in Puntland, Somalia. This study was performed through a descriptive design. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the variables of the role of traditional elders on electoral resolution. This chooses a descriptive(the frequency/percent) as well as an inferential design to be able to draw out the relationship between the two variables under study. The research population of this study was 64 respondents, including officials of the Government, traditional leaders, civil society, organisation owners and academic students. Secondly, the study's findings should be helpful to academic institutions, governmental organisations, policymakers, and non-governmental organisations involved in conflict resolution. The result was analysed using statistical packages such as R and Excel, and the results were presented in tables. The particular goals were to find a consensus and investigate the role of traditional elders in the process of reconciliation and mediation between the opposition and the government during Puntland's election issue, to examine the peacekeeping initiatives led by elders in Puntland state of Somalia, and to assess the challenges faced by elders in conflict resolution and mediation in Puntland, Somalia. As for the Profile of the respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, the noteworthy matter was that the age bracket of respondents is concerned, 81.2% were between 21 and 40 years old. This demonstrated how the younger generation perceived the traditional elders' role in state matters, particularly disputes over elections. Finally, the findings revealed that the majority of respondents agreed that traditional elders play a fundamental role in maintaining peace, resolving electoral disputes, and fostering political stability in Puntland. Their trusted social position, moral authority, and experience in mediation continue to make them essential actors in local governance and conflict resolution. The findings confirm that traditional elders play a fundamental role in maintaining peace, resolving electoral disputes, and fostering political stability in Puntland. Finally, for them to be more effective in their role, the government and international communities ought to offer training courses on electoral laws, conflict resolution strategies, and election-specific mediation approaches for traditional elders.