Ethiopia will not vote on June 5 as the election calendar wanted, but two weeks later, on June 21 … A delay that the Electoral Commission attributes to many logistical delays due to uncertainty in several parts of the country. The province of Tigray, at war for almost seven months, will not vote, like some other constituencies, theaters for civil violence. On the other hand, a province will vote for the first time since its creation in 2019. The last Ethiopian region has emerged, and it is partly the fault of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
From our correspondent in Addis Ababa,
It was on Lake Awassa that hundreds of activists from the Welfare Party, the ruling party, gathered to continue the election campaign.
Ashenafi Beggule expects a referendum on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which enabled the Sidama people to vote for autonomy. Sidamas has been claiming independence for over 130 years. And when Abiy Ahmed came to power, they got it in less than a year. Thanks to this, his prosperity party is very popular here. Because in addition to keeping promises, they act quickly, he argues.
Adene Asrat, a teacher, observes the gathering. “Sidamas are very happy and ready to choose Abiy Ahmed. Because he responded to their request. “
According to him, however, Sidama is more the exception than the rule today in Ethiopia. “In the Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regions, the government needs to stabilize the situation. Because if the conflicts and the civil war are not resolved, how can we safely elect a new government? He wonders.
The 2019 referendum was a tidal wave. 98% participation and 98% “yes” to regional autonomy. “For this referendum, total mobilization is taking place. You will rarely find anyone from Sidama against this referendum. In addition, Dr. Abiy has a lot of support for this issue, says Dejene Woldeamanuel, one of the leaders of the Sidama Unity Party, which has been fighting for autonomy for decades.
But now, in Sidama today, the mobilization of voters is not as important as in the referendum in 2019. “Participation is affected by the security situation,” says Dr Melisew Dejene, professor of development studies at the university. “Surprised by the number of registered voters in the Amhara region, Addis Ababa and other regions, including Sidama. It is much less than we imagined.”
In this province with 4 million inhabitants, the electoral list actually shows that there are almost one million fewer voters today than during the referendum for autonomy two years ago.
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