Sunday April 19 2020
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses the house of Parliament in Addis Ababa, after the swearing in ceremony on April 2, 2018. AFP PHOTO | ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER
In Summary
- The electoral agency on March 31 suspended preparations for the vote due to public health risk.
- The constitution allows the government to invoke a nationwide state of emergency to deal with epidemics.
- Opposition parties have agreed to put politics aside and accepted the emergency decree so long as the government does not use it as a tool for political repression.
By FRED OLUOCH
Following the postponement of the elections scheduled for August, Ethiopia might have to form an interim government before the term of the current parliament ends in early October.
This would mean incorporating the opposition—that was preparing to challenge Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed in August—into some sort of government of national unity.
This is the assessment of the new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) released on April 16, which says the postponement of the August election due to Covid-19 was a relief when the country was facing oa sensitive time of holding pivotal elections in August after five years of political turmoil.
Board not ready
Notably, the Ethiopian Electoral Board (EEB) was behind schedule in preparations which had raised concerns of possible disability due to a delay beyond the constitutional deadline even before the pandemic.
“Some of the opposition argue that because the delay will run past that date, the administration plans to outstay its legal authority. They say a national unity government must be formed to take the reins when the term of the current parliament expires,” says the ICG report.