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Ethiopia’s general elections, originally intended to take place in May but rescheduled for August, were postponed indefinitely due to
Photo: Reuters / Tiksa Negeri
Ethiopia’s general elections, originally intended to be held in May but rescheduled for August, were postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19.
The vote will likely serve as a vital referendum on current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reformist agenda, which won the Prime Minister a Nobel Peace Prize and sparked praise and backlash in the country.
The persistent variants of neopatrimonialism in governance and ethnic strife are deeply interconnected and well rooted in recent Ethiopian history. After two decades of repressive control by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, Ahmed’s sudden liberalization has hit the tinderbox of ethnic separatist sentiment. If provoked, it could lead to bloodshed between communities, similar to the one that killed 86 people in the Oromia region last October.
While the delay offers an opportunity to reestablish the flawed transition through lengthy interparty discussion, the country’s poor record of sustained multi-party competition can be reaffirmed. Expect the postponement to amplify divisions and increase the chances of a return to authoritarianism and ethnic violence, thereby compromising Ethiopia’s delicate progress toward a democratic transition. If the election is truly free and fair, as Ahmed has promised, it will have enormous ramifications for the nation’s prospects for democratization.
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