| Election Name: | 2019 Puntland presidential election |
| Country: | Puntland |
| Type: | presidential |
| Previous Election: | 2014 Puntland presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2024 Puntland presidential election |
| Next Year: | 2024 |
| Votes For Election: | 66 MPs of the House of Representatives |
| Needed Votes: | 45 |
| Image1: | Said Abdullahi Deni (cropped).jpg |
| Candidate1: | Said Abdullahi Deni |
| Candidate2: | Asad Osman Abdullahi |
| Electoral Vote1: | 35 |
| Electoral Vote2: | 31 |
| Party1: | Kaah |
| Party2: | Mideeye |
| Before Election: | Abdiweli Gaas |
| Before Party: | UDAD |
| After Election: | Said Abdullahi Deni |
| After Party: | Kaah |
| President | |
The 2019 Puntland presidential election was held on 8 January 2019 in Garowe, the administrative capital of the autonomous Puntland state of Somalia. The fourth such vote to be held in the state since its establishment 1998, it followed the election of a new Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speakers on January 04, 2019 by the 66-seat bicameral legislature. Candidates included officials from the incumbent Puntland administration, former government ministers and prominent local entrepreneurs. The ballot saw the election of former somali minister of planning Said Abdullahi Deni as the sixth president of Puntland, narrowly defeating General Asad Osman Abdullahi. Parliament of Puntland concurrently elected Ahmed Elmi Osman as Puntland's new vice president in place of Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar.
2019 Puntland presidential election, with incumbent Abdiweli Gaas in a tight race, holds significant implications for both regional and federal politics in Somalia. The outcome will signal either a continuation of tensions between federal member states and the federal government or a potential shift towards cooperation. This election was served a crucial precursor to the 2022 federal elections, that was shaped Somalia's political crisis 2022.[1]
On January 6, 2019, the Puntland House of Representatives Vetting Committee released the final list of candidates competing in the election on January 8, 2019. According to a press release issued by the Vetting Committee, 21 candidates had registered to compete for the position of President, while 11 others were competing for the position of Vice President. This list was the last one officially registered, meeting all requirements, and the candidates were scheduled to address the House of Representatives before the election.[2]
The highly watched election was scheduled to be held on the Tuesday of that week, with heavy security in place in the administrative capital of Garowe and the headquarters of the Puntland.[2]
Major candidates were considered to be aligned with the former President of Puntland, Abdirahman Faroole, who at the time was a member of the upper house of the Somali Parliament and vehemently opposed the incumbent President, Abdiweli Gaas.[1]
Said Abdullahi Deni emerged as the new president of puntland, defeating Asad Osman Abdullahi in the final round. Deni secured 35 votes from the 66 members of the Puntland House of Representatives, while Asad Diano received 31 votes. Incumbent president Abdiweli Gaas was eliminated in the first round after receiving only 8 votes.[3] [4]
In the aftermath of the Puntland presidential election, the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga extended congratulations to Said Abdullahi Deni and Ahmed Elmi Osman for their respective victories as President and Vice-President of Puntland.[5]
Mr. Zenenga also commended Puntland’s electoral commission for organizing and executing a transparent, peaceful, free, and fair electoral process. He expressed anticipation in working closely with President Deni's administration and praised outgoing President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali ‘Gaas’ and his administration for facilitating a peaceful transfer of power and creating conditions conducive to the success of the electoral process.[6] [7]