Posted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by The Board of Vision Ethiopia
The postponement of the election was predictable long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak. The government has not been able to conduct national census, political parties were not able to campaign freely in all regions of the country, and sectarian messages dominated the airwaves. Allegations that security forces, law enforcement agencies and government institutions are partisans have eroded public trust in the government’s ability to prepare the country for the promised free and fair election.
Had it not been for a complex set of events, the month of May 2020 would have witnessed Ethiopia’s first post-conflict and transitional election.
Two years have passed since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in the aftermath of a popular uprising that demanded political reforms, protection of human rights and establishment of law and order. He raised the hopes and aspirations of millions of Ethiopians back home and abroad with tantalizing measures that included the releases of political prisoners, amnesty for political dissidents, and a peace settlement with neighboring Eritrea.
These bold steps earned the prime minister all round commendations and the 2019 Nobel Prize for Peace.
To the dismay of many Ethiopians, no sooner had glimpses of these signs of change been caught than the specter of anarchy and chaos ominously descended on the land. Ethnic conflicts got worse, resulting in countless deaths and massive internal human displacement. Minorities (especially the Amharas and Christians) in the various regions were targeted and persecuted, while university campuses became centers of political agitation, violence and killings. Defenseless students of the Amhara ethnic group, mostly young girls, were abducted and tortured by extremist Oromo fighters, and several places of worship, including heritage institutions, were burned down. The governor of the Amhara region and his colleagues were assassinated under mysterious circumstances, as was the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces.
