The Somali Democratic Party (SDP; so, Xisbiga Dimuqraadiga Soomaalida), formerly the Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party, was a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
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 ...
, created by the ruling
(EPRDF) after refusing Somali demands for self-determination in 1993. The EPRDF created a surrogate party called the
Ethiopian Somali Democratic League
The Ethiopian Somali Democratic League (ESDL) was a political party in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was the ruling EPRDF's regional partner from 1994 to 1998.
Overview
The ESDL was formed in 1994 through the merger of ten clan-based politi ...
which was one of many satellite organisations existing throughout Ethiopia.
["Ethnic Federalism and the Somali Region under the EPRDF"](_blank)
in ''Ethiopia: Army Commits Executions, Torture, and Rape in Ogaden'', published 11 June 2008 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 ...
(last accessed 10 December 2008) The organisation was led by Ahmed Shide.
History
Like the ESDL before it, the Somali Democratic Party was considered by many inhabitants of 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 state ...
to be an "EPRDF puppet", who accused its members "of brutal repression and systematic massacres in ensuring the region stays under firm control".
The party observed its eleventh anniversary of its founding in
Filtu
Filtu is the capital city of '"Liben Zone"' Filtu(also known as Gindiyeer) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Liben Zone of the Somali Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 3,150 meters above sea level. It i ...
, where numerous improvements to the infrastructure of the
Liben Zone were announced.
In December 2019, the party merged with the
Afar National Democratic Party
The Afar National Democratic Party ( am, የአፋር ብሔራዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ; ANDP) was a political party in Ethiopia.
At the legislative elections held on 15 May 2005, the party won 8 seats, all from the Afar Region. The c ...
(ANDP), the
Amhara Democratic Party
The Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) ( am, አማራ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ), originally known as Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), was a political party in Ethiopia. The party was one of four members of the Ethiopian People's R ...
(ADP), the
Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front
The Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front (BGPDUF; am, የቤንሻንጉልና ጉሙዝ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲዊ አንድነት) was a political party in Ethiopia. In the 2010 elections, the BGPDUF won 9 seats. In local ele ...
(BGPDUF), the
Gambela People's Democratic Movement
The Gambela Peoples’ Democratic Movement (GPDM, am, የጋምቤላ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄ, translit=Yä-Gambella Həzbočč Demokrasiyawi Nəqnaqe), also known as the Gambela People’s Democratic Movement or Gambella ...
(GPDM), the
Hareri National League
The Harari National League ( am, የሐረሪ ብሔራዊ ሊግ, Harari: ዚሀረሪ መሐዲያ ሊግ) was a political party in Ethiopia. Its chairman, Ordeen Badri, was also president of the Harari Region.[Oromo Democratic Party
The Oromo Democratic Party ( om, Paartii Demokraatawaa Oromoo, ODP) was a political party in Ethiopia, and part of the alliance with the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front and the Tigrayan Peopl ...]
(ODP) and the
Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement
The Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM) was a political party in Ethiopia.
At the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that won 327 out of 527 ...
(SEPDM) to form the new
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 ...
.
Notes
{{Ethiopian political parties
1998 establishments in Ethiopia
2019 disestablishments in Ethiopia
Defunct political parties in Ethiopia
Defunct socialist parties
Democratic socialist parties in Africa
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Political parties disestablished in 2019
Political parties established in 1998
Socialist parties in Ethiopia