The 1964 parliament election was judged the fairest in Somali history

Evidence

By general consensus this election was the fairest ever held in Somalia. The government press understandably hailed the event as spotless proof of Somali democracy in action. More accurately, high government officials including General Abscir, Police Commandant, are generally satisfied that it was well run and fraud held down. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 682

Categorization

• XREF: US embassy assessment corroborating Osman’s democratic credentials narrative. — connects to: The Somali presidency was provisional until the 1961 referendum ratified the constitution; Foreign observers judged the 1964 election the fairest Somalia had ever held; By 1966 Somalia was the only country preserving liberal parliamentary democracy — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1453 (+2 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 682

Broader Connections

• The Somali presidency was provisional until the 1961 referendum ratified the constitution #expands (0.40)
• Somali governments maintained genuine neutrality during the first seven years of independence #corroborates (0.40) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1389
• Somali parliamentary democracy had by 1969 degenerated into a corrupt vote-trading market #complicates (0.35)