The federal government of Ethiopia has postponed national elections that where slated for August of this year. The National Electoral Board stated it can’t hold the upcoming general elections as per scheduled due to the outbreak of COVID19 commonly referred to as the Coronavirus according to state run media.
In a statement sent to the state owned Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) today, the board announced the cancellation of the time table issued previously due to the growing number of Coronavirus cases in the country. However Ethiopia’s national electoral board did not state a new date for elections, which has many suspecting the government is exploiting the global pandemic (COVID19) for political purposes.
The opposition parties and former armed factions currently in the country are yet to comment on the Government’s decision to postpone elections. Experts and analysts view this latest development with caution for obvious reasons.
Over recent months pressure has been mounting on the regime of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for a number of reasons. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient (Abiy Ahmed) has been marred in controversy and scrutiny since being (s)elected as prime minister in 2018. Ethnic clashes and mass displacement pushed the country on the brink. Lawless has become a norm, as paramilitaries and rogue militias run wild.
Large swaths of territory in Ethiopia remain ungovernable and out of reach of the central government. This is most notable in rebel strongholds such as Western Oromia and the autonomous Tigray region, which is home to the former ruling TPLF Junta. Putting all this into consideration, tremendous level of pressure is on prime minister Abiy Ahmed to deliver democratic elections in a timely manner.
In wake of these latest developments, the next series of steps undertaken by the regime in Addis Ababa will reveal alot. If the public backlash turns into physical violence, will the government implement a state of emergency ? Will authorities in Addis Ababa began targeting opposition leaders and parties ? Will the military be deployed to crack down on the masses ? Only time will tell.
Halgan Media Service Desk
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