Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Irro," Speaker of Somaliland's lower house of parliament, the 82-seat House of Representatives, told reporters in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa that he was "informed by the police chief" that the troops do not take orders from parliament's leadership.
Security forces that normally guard the parliament building in Hargeisa were instructed to leave, as hundreds of soldiers dispatched from President Dahir Riyale's office surrounded the parliament building and cordoned off nearby streets.
Somaliland's elected lawmakers were prevented from entering the parliament building, where they were expected to continue debate on the political deadlock between the Riyale administration and opposition parties over the September 27 presidential election.
Speaker Irro, who addressed a crowd of civilians gathered around the parliament building, said: "You see, your elected parliament has been taken over by soldiers. Journalists are prevented from reporting."
The House of Representatives is dominated by opposition lawmakers who voted earlier this month to urge the Riyale administration to re-consider a decision not to use the registered voters' list in next month's election. READ: Somaliland MPs urge president to re-consider election
UK mediator
An official from the United Kingdom's embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa arrived in Hargeisa on Saturday to help mediate the worsening political dispute, officials said.
Mr. John Marshall, deputy ambassador at the UK embassy in Addis Ababa, met privately with President Riyale at the State House in Hargeisa.
"The President of Somaliland and the Deputy Ambassador of the UK, Mr. Marshall, discussed a range of issues including the political situation in Somaliland, security, and the democratization process in Somaliland," read a press statement from President Riyale's office.
Mr. Marshall is "expected to meet with other organizations, including the election commission and the opposition parties," the statement continued.
The UK mediator's visit was preceded by delegations sent by the Ethiopian government and the African Union to help mediate political tensions in Somaliland, a relatively stable region in war-torn Somalia. READ: Somaliland opposition demands caretaker govt, rejects mediation
Somaliland's election crisis is deeply rooted in two term extensions awarded to President Riyale since 2008 by Somaliland's unelected upper house of parliament, the House of Guurti.
Located in northwestern Somalia, Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the Horn of Africa country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.