Ethiopians go to the polls, but election may not resolve the country’s crisis
People hold a paper that shows a list of political parties in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 17, 2021, who are running for the upcoming June 21, 2021 elections. PHOTO | AMANUEL SELESHI | AFP
Ethiopia is scheduled to hold delayed federal and regional council elections on June 21. The vote is an opportunity for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to consolidate power for his ruling Prosperity Party, which, in part due to the absence of major opponents, looks set to form the next government.
It will do little, however, to resolve the fundamental political divisions over the best way to steer the country’s troubled transition under Abiy, particularly as the most influential supporters of stronger regional autonomy – notably in Tigray and Oromia regions – will not take part. These constituencies will doubtless see the vote’s outcome as illegitimate. Polls originally set for August 2020 were postponed that March by the electoral board due to Covid-19, contributing to a constitutional dispute and the subsequent outbreak of war between the federal and Tigray regional governments.
