Ethiopia is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It is the 12th most populous country in the world and 2nd most populous in Africa. It’s a place of ancient cultures and traditions. The capital is Addis Ababa and the official language is Amharic. It was the first independent African member of the League of Nation.
The first election of Ethiopia took place in 1994 with 547 members Constitute Assembly. The assembly adopted the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in December 1994.
Civil war:
A civil war broke out in Tigray in November 2019 and has led to many civilian casualties ever since. It also caused problems with regard to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. This has bought serious questions about the ability of the authorities to maintain peace and stability in the country. Also, the lifting of restrictions and coming back of banned political parties led to some other kind of issues. Conflict and instability grew in the areas such as Oromia, Amhara, Somali and Benushungul Gumuz. Ethiopia came into the middle of all of it.
Elections:
The parliamentary elections in Ethiopia were held on 21st June 2021. It was originally supposed to be held on 29th August 2020 but got delayed due to Covid-19. The elections this June was held for the first time since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into power in 2018.
Problems in the elections:
Despite the elections being held by a former opposition and the banned parties getting a chance to participate, the impact of the election is still unclear. Many of the areas like Tigray are still not conducting elections and at some other places the elections are delayed. Also, opposition parties Oromo region particularly have complained about the harassment and imprisonment they are facing mainly because they are opposing to the prosperity party.
The level of voter’s registrations attained a low success. With the population of 120 million, only 38 million registered. Due to insecurity and other problems like refugees camp of domestic population has also affected the elections in one way or the other. All the above factors question the procedure and result of the elections yet the people are very optimistic of this election as it is their only hope for a better and stable future.
