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By Siyanne Mekonnen @SIYAANNE
Addis Ababa, March 29, 2021– The Ethiopian National Electoral Board issued a statement on the recent controversy surrounding the division within the leadership of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). In the statement issued yesterday, the NEBE announced that the new leadership appointment by the splinter group, as well as the modification of the party’s statutes, are not recognized by the board due to procedural deficiencies.
In early February, the board recommended that the party leadership resolve the internal division through a general assembly and reach consensus. According to the statement issued on March 28, 2021, the board specified that it received a letter dated March 13, 2021 that explains that the party has chosen a leader through a general assembly. The letter also requested an extension of the deadline for the registration of candidates that ended on March 9, 2021, asking the board to take into consideration the ‘difficulties’ that the party is going through. The board inspected the documents that were sent to it on the modified party statutes, as well as the signatures of 500 participants in the assembly organized by the group headed by the party’s vice president, Ararso Bikila.
The board of directors noted that the assembly called by the group of deputies from March 13 to 14, 2021, was attended by only three members of the executive committee, as opposed to the party statute that requires the attendance of 2/3 of the executive committee to hold a general assembly. . The board also cited the party’s statutes, article 16.2 which stipulates that those attending the general assembly (the number to be decided by the executive committee) must be people who are party members in different ranks, members of groups that are affiliated with the party or personalities who have contributed to the Oromo fight.
Batte Urgessa, the party’s public relations chief who is now in jail, told Addis Standard that the party planned to hold a general assembly before the aftermath and the takeover of its headquarters by the Addis Ababa police. The directive, in its statement, indicated that the assembly held by the group led by deputies is not recognized by the organizing committee formed prior to the controversy.
Batte also confirmed that the general assembly was not attended by party members at all organizational levels nor was it requested by the central committee according to party statutes. Likewise, the directive, in its statement, explained that it could not verify that those attending the assembly organized by the group led by deputies meet the above criteria. The board was also unable to confirm that congress attendees have served the party for at least two years in accordance with article 17.1 of the party’s statutes. Additionally, the formation of an organizing committee by only three members of the executive committee falls short of the proposal made by the board on January 27, 2021 to resolve the dispute in the leadership based on the party’s legal and procedural instruments.
The board’s decision that both the general assembly and its subsequent outcomes, including the appointment of new leadership, will not be recognized by the board comes despite claims made by the splinter group that NEBE representatives attended the the general assembly, the board did not make a decision. mention it in your statement. However, the statement addressed the request made by the dissident group to extend the deadline for the registration of candidates, the board said: “The applications were not reviewed by the board because it does not recognize the leadership that submitted the request.” WHAT
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