Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Among the achievements of his first year in office was peace with long-time foe and neighbour Eritrea |
Ethiopia proposes to
hold its national vote on August 16, the electoral board said on Wednesday, the
first poll under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who has eased political restrictions
and taken steps to open the economy since taking office in 2018.
Ethiopia’s
100 million people are seeing unprecedented political change, but Abiy’s
reforms have also uncorked ethnic rivalries that have spilled into violence.
Plans
to hold the vote for parliament and regional councils in May had been postponed
as neither authorities nor parties would be ready, electoral board head
Birtukan Mideksa told a meeting of political parties and civil society groups.
The
new August 16 date is tentative, she told repoters. Results would be due between
August 17-26.
One
opposition political party said August 16 was unsuitable because it is a
fasting day for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and falls during the rainy
season.
“There
are concerns that need to be resolved and addressed specifically on the
schedule,” Desalegn Chane, president of the opposition National Movement of
Amhara, said.
Ethiopia
has held regular parliamentary elections since the Ethiopian People’s
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took power in 1991 but, with one
exception, none were competitive.
The
EPRDF appointed Abiy, 43, in 2018 after three years of anti-government
protests. Among the achievements of his first year in office was peace with
longtime foe and neighbour Eritrea, for which Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize. His promised reforms include a credible multi-party poll in 2020.
In
November, the ruling coalition approved a merger of three of its four
ethnic-based parties into a single national party as part of Abiy’s efforts to
unite the country.
Abiy
has freed journalists and activists, lifted bans on political parties,
appointed former dissidents to high-level posts and prosecuted officials for
rights abuses.
But
violence in the regions has forced 2.4 million people out of their homes,
according to the United Nations, and delayed both a national census and local
elections.
Opposition
politicians have repeatedly warned that election delays could fuel unrest and
dent the democratic credentials of Abiy.
William
Davison, Ethiopia analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, said
the opposition could pose a real challenge to the ruling party.
“An
overall majority for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s party is by no means
guaranteed, especially if the opposition is allowed to freely campaign,”
Davison said. - Africa
No comments:
Post a Comment