Somaliland postpones presidential election to next year

FILE PHOTO: Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland speaks during a news conference on October 10, 2018. Picture taken October 10, 2018. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland will postpone its scheduled presidential election to next year, rather than holding it in November when the incumbent president's term ends, the region's electoral body said on Saturday.

In August deadly protests broke out in the region with demonstrators demanding elections be held in November amid suspicions President Muse Bihi Abdi wanted to delay the poll and extend his term.