Under the current constitution,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
conducts local, regional, and federal elections. At the federal level, Ethiopia elects a
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
. The
Federal Parliamentary Assembly
The Federal Parliamentary Assembly ( am, የፌዴራል ፓርላማ ምክር ቤት, Ye-Fēdēralawī Parilama Mikir Bēt) is Ethiopia's federal legislature. It consists of two chambers:
*The House of Federation (upper chamber)
*The House ...
has
two chambers: the
House of People's Representatives
The House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly. Located in the capital Addis Ababa, the House has 547 members. All are elected in theory for five-year term in single-seat constituencies. T ...
(ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት ''Yehizbtewekayoch Mekir Bet'') with not more than 550 members as per the constitution but actually nearly 547 members, elected for five-year terms in single-seat
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
; and the
Council of the Federation
The Council of the Federation (french: Conseil de la fédération) is a congress that meets twice annually and comprises the premiers of each of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, the main function of which is to provide a united front among ...
(''Yefedereshn Mekir Bet'') with 117 members, one each from the 22 minority
nationalities
Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the ...
, and one from each professional sector of its remaining nationalities, designated by the regional councils, which may elect them themselves or through popular elections.
Ethiopia is a
dominant-party state
A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more th ...
in that a coalition, the
Prosperity Party
The Prosperity Party ( am, ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, Bilits’igina Paritī; om, Paartii Badhaadhiinaa) is a political party in Ethiopia that was established on 1 December 2019 as a successor to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic F ...
, is the strongest party in the country. Reforms to political party legislation have opened up for opposition parties to operate in the country and many have been registered under the new law, but the
Prosperity Party
The Prosperity Party ( am, ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, Bilits’igina Paritī; om, Paartii Badhaadhiinaa) is a political party in Ethiopia that was established on 1 December 2019 as a successor to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic F ...
remains the dominant party in the political landscape.
History
![Ethiopian ballot box](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Ethiopian_ballot_box.jpg)
Although the history of Ethiopia is dotted with non-democratic systems of government such as the
Abyssinian,
Jimma
Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...
,
Harar
Harar ( amh, ሐረር; Harari: ሀረር; om, Adare Biyyo; so, Herer; ar, هرر) known historically by the indigenous as Gey (Harari: ጌይ ''Gēy'', ) is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is also known in Arabic as the City of Saint ...
,
Wolayta Kingdoms, many of these states also had or reigned over egalitarian political systems that allowed popular participation similar to the ones in
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...
or Western Africa. The most commonly cited example of the egalitarian governance structures is the
''Gada'' System of the
Oromo People that had an peer group based system with developed legislative bodies. In addition to the ''Gada'', and similar systems among the Mursi, Gurage, Sidamo, Kambata, Somali People; the “Bayto” and “Risti” systems among the
Tigray and the elected variants of the “Abat” and “Rist” systems o f the
Amhara have been considered to be pre-modern democratic systems that predate the current constitutional order.
The first modern elections in Ethiopia took place during the imperial regime under
Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...
. These were followed by a referendum by the
Military ("Derg") regime to approve the constitution of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The first legally mandated multi-party (reginal) contests took place in 1992 and were followed by the election of the members of the
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
(which drafted the
1995 Constitution). These early democratic exercises and the referendum to approve the current constitution were held under the
Transitional Period Charter of Ethiopia.
General elections have since been held in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2005,
2010 and
2015.
1995 general elections
The 1995 elections were preceded by a post-socialist liberalization that saw Ethiopia's accession to international human rights treaties and the legalization of independent newspapers and political parties. However, it also took place after a number of potentially significant opposition parties such as the OLF, COEDF, EPRP and MEISON were either barred or withdrew from local elections conducted in 2012 and constitutional assembly elections in 1994.
General elections were held in Ethiopia on 7 and 18 May 1995 for seats in its Council of People's Representatives; elections in the
Afar,
Somali, and
Harari Region
The Harari Region ( Harari: ሀረሪ ሁስኒ; ; ), officially the Harari People's National Regional State ( Harari: ዚሀረሪ ኡምመት ሁስኒ ሁኩማ; am, የሐረሪ ሕዝብ ብሔራዊ ክልላዊ መንግሥት; om, Moo ...
s were delayed until 28 June to assign experienced personnel who could solve possible conflicts and irregularities. Although this was the first multi-party election in Ethiopia, several opposition parties boycotted the election.
["Monthly Situation Report for Ethiopia: May 1995"]
UNDP-EUE (accessed 19 January 2009) The parties boycotting the election included the
All-Amhara People's Organization
The All-Amhara People's Organization or AAPO is an ethnic based political party in Ethiopia, created in 1993 by Asrat Woldeyes.
Creation
The All-Amhara People's Organization was created by Asrat Woldeyes in 1993 to try to limit the domination of ...
,
, and
Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party
The Ethiopian Democratic Party () is a political party in Ethiopia. The result of no less than five mergers of liberal and conservative liberal opposition parties, it could trace its roots to the Ethiopian Democratic Union, which mounted armed m ...
.
2000 general elections
Ethiopia held general elections on 14 May and 31 August 2000 for seats in both its national
House of Peoples' Representatives
The House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly. Located in the capital Addis Ababa, the House has 547 members. All are elected in theory for five-year term in single-seat constituencies. ...
and several
regional government councils. Although several opposition parties boycotted the election, 17 parties including the
All-Amhara People's Organization
The All-Amhara People's Organization or AAPO is an ethnic based political party in Ethiopia, created in 1993 by Asrat Woldeyes.
Creation
The All-Amhara People's Organization was created by Asrat Woldeyes in 1993 to try to limit the domination of ...
, the
Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition
The Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition is an opposition political coalition in Ethiopia based in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. At the last legislative elections held on 15 May 2005, the Coalition was part of ...
(SEPDC), and the
Oromo National Congress
The Oromo People's Congress (OPC) was a federalist and Oromo nationalist opposition political party in Ethiopia. It was founded in April 1996 as the Oromo National Congress by Dr. Merera Gudina, who is its chairman. However, the party licence a ...
did participate.
["Ethiopia: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices"]
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US State Department (accessed 9 July 2009)
In round one, held on 14 May, there were 20,252,000 registered voters, of whom 90% voted.
PARLINE database (accessed 20 October 2009) the
(EPRDF) member parties captured 481 of the 547 seats in the national election. Independents won 13 seats and other parties won 53. Six of the seven constituencies in the
Hadiya Zone
Hadiya (also transliterated Hadiyya) is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This zone is named after the Hadiya of the Hadiya Kingdom, whose homeland covers part of the administrative division. Hadiya ...
where elections were run, were won by the
Hadiya National Democratic Organization Hadiya may refer to :
* Hadiya Zone, a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR)
* Hadiya Sultanate, an ancient kingdom located in South Western Ethiopia
* Hadiyya language, a language spoken by the Hadiy ...
led by
Beyene Petros.
The second round was held on August 31 for the
Somali Region
The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...
alone, with 23 seats reserved for the region in the House of Peoples' Representatives and the 168 seats in the State Council. About 75% of the 1.15 million registered voters in the Region cast ballots. Announced results gave 19 of the seats to the SPDP, and the remaining four to independent candidates.
[
In the Regional elections, either the EPRDF or one of its member parties won the election except in Afar (where the Afar National Democratic Party won 84 of the 87 local seats), ]Benishangul-Gumuz
Benishangul-Gumuz ( am, ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ, Benšangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the adoption of the 19 ...
(where the Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front won 71 of the 80 seats), Gambela (where the Gambela People's Democratic Front Gambela or Gambella may refer to:
Places
* Gambela Region, Ethiopia
* Gambela, Ethiopia, a city and separate woreda in Gambela Region
* Gambela Zuria, ''Greater Gambela'', a woreda surrounding the city of Gambela
* Gambela National Park
* Apostolic ...
won 40 of the 53 seats), and Somali (where the Somali People's Democratic Party
The Somali Democratic Party (SDP; so, Xisbiga Dimuqraadiga Soomaalida), formerly the Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party, was a political party in Ethiopia, created by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) ...
won 150 of the 168 seats).
According to observers organized by Ethiopian Human Rights Council
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council or EHRCO is an Ethiopian human rights non-governmental organisation created in 1991 by Mesfin Woldemariam and 31 colleagues shortly after the dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam was overthrown. EHRCO's funds and s ...
, local U.N. staff, diplomatic missions, political parties, and domestic non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
s, both the general and the regional elections that year were generally free and fair in most areas; however, serious election irregularities occurred in the (SNNPR), particularly in the Hadiya Zone
Hadiya (also transliterated Hadiyya) is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This zone is named after the Hadiya of the Hadiya Kingdom, whose homeland covers part of the administrative division. Hadiya ...
.
2005 general elections
The 2005 elections were preceded by much optimism as many opposition parties that boycotted previous elections announced their participation and formed coalitions to counter the incumbency of the EPRDF. The EPRDF also seemed to welcome the prospect of free and fair elections as it agreed to restructure the Electoral Board (NEBE), promised to cease restrictions on opposition activities, and allowed free access to observers. Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
ary elections took place on May 15, 2005, with a reported 90% turnout. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
has accused the Ethiopian government of stifling political dissent and criticism in Oromia
Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa.
It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Be ...
, Ethiopia's most populous region. The government has denied these allegations, and cited the occurrence of an opposition rally attended by 250,000 people on May 8 as an example of political freedom in the country.
Provisional results were scheduled to be announced on May 21, and official results June 8; however, due to hundreds of claims of election irregularities from all political parties involved, the provisional results were delayed until June 8 to allow the complaints to be fully investigated. On August 9, official results were released, acknowledging that the ruling EPRDF had won 296 of the total 524 seats - about 56 percent - enabling it to form a government. However, Berhanu Nega
Berhanu Nega ( am, ብርሃኑ ነጋ; born 6 December 1958) is an Ethiopian politician who is serving as the current Minister of Education of Ethiopia. He previously was the mayor elect of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the 2005 Ethiopian general ...
, vice-chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy ( Ge'ez : ቅንጅት ለአንድነት እና ዴሞክራሲ), commonly referred to by its English abbreviation CUD, or occasionally CDU; its Amharic abbreviation, used in Ethiopia, is Qinijit; in Englis ...
, had criticized the process, claiming that "The investigation process was a complete failure. Our representatives and witnesses have been harassed, threatened, barred and killed upon their return from the hearings." Repeat elections were scheduled for August 21 in 31 areas where either irregularities were reported or results were challenged. Additionally, general elections in the Somali Region
The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...
were held on August 21. On September 5, the National Election Board of Ethiopia
The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) () is an autonomous federal government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' R ...
released its final results, in which the EPRDF retained its control of the government with 327 seats and opposition parties won 174 seats.
At the time, the 2005 elections were considered to be the most democratic in Ethiopia's history, where the government no longer won an overwhelming majority – according to even the contested official results the EPRDF secured a mere 59.7% of the seats in parliament.[Abadir M. Ibrahim, The Role of Civil Society in Africa's Quest for Democratization 122, 130 (Springer Pub. 2015)] Following the refusal of major opposition parties to join parliament, who demanded the EPRDF relinquish power and called for nationwide protests, the tension and street violence quickly escalated. The government's violent crackdown on the opposition was followed by what seemed to be a permanent course-reversal on democratic gains. The violent end of the 2005 elections ushered in a decade in which the EPRDF would win almost all seats in parliament justified under the broad rubric of “Revolutionary Democracy”. The doctrine of Revolutionary Democracy was considered an official ideology and was being incorporated into the legal system until Abiy Ahmed
Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...
assumed the premiership in April 2018.
2010 general elections
A parliamentary election took place on 23 May 2010.
, preliminary election results indicated that the ruling EPRDF party had won 499 of the 536 seats in parliament. The provisional results indicated the EPRDF had won a landslide victory in 9 of the 11 regions and cities. 90% of eligible voters participated the election.
Chief European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
(EU) observer Thijs Berman
Thijs Berman (born 26 September 1957 in Coevorden) is a former journalist. Between 2004 and 2014, he was a Dutch politician and a Member of the European Parliament.
Biography
Berman was a correspondent in Paris and Moscow for Dutch weekly De ...
reported that the elections were "peaceful and well organised", but noted an "uneven playing field" and criticized the use of state resources in the EPRDF campaign. The EU received numerous reports of intimidation and harassment, but indicated that this did not necessarily affect the outcome of the elections.
The eight-party Medrek
Medrek ( am, መድረክ), officially the Ethiopia Federal Democratic Unity Forum ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ አንድነት መድረክ), is an Ethiopian political coalition founded in 2008 by former def ...
coalition won only a single seat in the capital Addis Ababa. Medrek had expected better results in the Oromia Region
Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa.
It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benis ...
. Medrek leader Merera Gudina
Merera Gudina ( Oromo: Mararaa Guddinaa) (born 5 July 1956) is an Ethiopian professor and politician. He is the leader of the Oromo People's Congress (OPC), a political party representing the Oromo people. The organization is opposed to the previ ...
rejected the election results as being "completely fraudulent" and indicated that the coalition is considering what action to take. Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
had condemned the election as "multi-party theatre staged by a single party state". Election and government officials have denied such charges. Opposition leaders have claimed that their supporters have been subject to harassment and beatings. In March 2010, an opposition politician was stabbed to death, but the government blamed the killing on a personal dispute. A ''Wall Street Journal'' article suggests that Medrek had spent much of its energy on coalition-building. International reporters have given the election wide media coverage.
African Union (AU) election observers reported that the election was completely "free and fair" and met all AU election standards. In spite of the opposition's objections, the AU stated that the election "reflected voters' will." The AU observers also reported that opposition party observers were present in most of the polling stations that the AU observed, and found no evidence to support the opposition's charges of pre-election intimidation. At the same time, chief AU observer and former President of Botswana Ketumile Masire noted that "the AU were unable to observe the pre-election period. The participating parties expressed dissatisfaction with the pre-election period. They did not have freedom to campaign. We had no way of verifying the allegations." Masire said that the National Election Board of Ethiopia
The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) () is an autonomous federal government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' R ...
(NEBE) handled the election in a professional manner and did not interfere with the electoral materials.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi attributed the election results to the EPRDF's past performance, in particular citing the country's economic growth. According to the International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
, Ethiopia's economy grew 9.9% in 2009 and was expected to grow 7% in 2010. Some analysts suggest that the result is a combination of the EPRDF's performance along with state-sponsored intimidation of the opposition.
On 21 June 2010, the NEBE released the final election results, which confirmed the preliminary results from the previous month. The EPRDF won 499 of the 547 available parliamentary seats, opposition or independent candidates won two seats, and EPRDF-allied parties won the remaining seats. Additionally, the EPRDF won all but one of 1,904 council seats in regional elections. The opposition had filed appeals with the election board and the Ethiopian Supreme Court, but both appeals were rejected. On July 20, the Court of Cassation, Ethiopia's highest court, rejected the opposition's final appeal.
2015 general elections
Parliamentary elections were held in Ethiopia on 24 May 2015. The result was a victory for the ruling EPRDF, which won 500 of the 547 seats. Allies of the EPRDF won the remaining seats.Ethiopia's ruling party wins by landslide in general election
The Guardian, 22 June 2015
2020 general elections
This election was postponed by the ruling party citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Some regional elections will be held on the 30th September.
See also
*
National Election Board of Ethiopia
The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) () is an autonomous federal government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' R ...
*
Electoral calendar
This national electoral calendar for 2022 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2022 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
* 16 January: Se ...
*
Electoral system
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections ma ...
References
External links
Adam Carr's Election Archive"Rights group accuses gov't of suppressing opposition" - UN IRIN NewsInternational Herald Tribune Election CoverageRuling party named winner in final result of disputed poll IRIN, 5 September 2005
BBC 2010 election report(Audio)
The Sparrow News - Ethiopia Election
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elections In Ethiopia