- Abiy Ahmed has accused the opposition of trying to create instability and grab power
- The elections in Ethiopia are not likely to take place before lawmakers’ mandates expire in October, creating a political crisis
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused opposition politicians of trying to create instability and grab power. He warned that stern punishment will be meted out to people who try to exploit the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic to seize power.
Abiy was hoping to win the elections scheduled in August. The wide-ranging political and economic reforms introduced by him had won him good popularity. However, due to the pandemic, the election board announced the postponement of the elections in late March. The elections in Ethiopia are not likely to take place before lawmakers’ mandates expire in October, creating a political crisis. The constitution of Ethiopia does not spell out how the postponement should be handled which means that Abiy’s government may soon face legitimacy issues.
In a move to find a solution to the dilemma, lawmakers in parliament’s lower house formally asked the upper house to provide a “constitutional interpretation”. However, the move was met by strong protests by opposition politicians, who say that it leaves them without a voice in the process as parliament is dominated by the ruling party. Meanwhile, the once-dominant Tigray People’s Liberation Front stated that it will proceed with plans to hold elections in the northern Tigray region regardless of what happens elsewhere in the country. Political experts point out that
the current political climate creates “fertile grounds for the opposition to question the government’s legitimacy’, leading to instability. The Political analysts have pointed out that it was crucial for Abiy’s government to win the support of major opposition parties.
