ETHIOPIA: June 5 elections a gamble on fragile peace

By: Ollus Ndomu

Ethiopia goes to the polls on June 5, 2021, amidst widespread security fears that Tigray leaders now declared terrorists might take advantage of election period to further destabilize the already fragile national peace.

The forthcoming elections in Africa’s second most populous country have caused friction between government and the European Union, which has announced its cancellation of the observation mission.

According to High Representative Josep Borrell, Ethiopian authorities and EU failed to agree on key parameters of the election observation mission.

Responding to EU’s decision, the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed disappointment with the move, adding that it came as a surprise.

Deutsche Welle reports that the elections were originally scheduled for August of 2020, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ethiopia prepares for elections at the time Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party is facing off against ethnic parties based in various regions in the country, adding to the humanitarian crisis in the restive Tigray region.

The prevailing humanitarian crisis is a result of an internal conflict between the Federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

In charge of Tigray region in the northern part of the country, TPLF is alleged to have attacked several Ethiopian military bases last year, a development which saw PM Amed launching an offensive in the region.

According to the TPLF, Ahmed’s rule is illegitimate, since elections were postponed.

The PM who has added the TPLF leaders on the list of terrorists describe the attacks by the TPLF militants as “treason.”

In the midst of the Tigray conflict, the Ethiopian government is facing accusations of ethnic cleansing.

It is however not clear whether elections will remedy internal divisions especially that Ahmed’s rule has reduced the country’s democratic space.

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