Governance system in Ethiopia

Appointment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018 set off a transitional period in Ethiopia. Abiy vowed to reform Ethiopia’s authoritarian state, has conducted elections and implemented some liberalization policies. Still, Ethiopia remains plagued by internal conflict and intercommunal violence, violations of due process and abuses by security forces is common, and a lot of restrictive laws remain in force. In recent years, fighting in the Amhara, Oromia, and Tigray regions has caused extensive displacement, and credible accusations of atrocity crimes have emerged.

Electoral Process

The president elected indirectly to a six-year term by both chambers of Parliament is the head of state. Sahle-Work Zewde, a diplomat, became the nation’s first female president in October 2018. The prime minister is selected by the largest party in Parliament after elections, or in the case of a resignation. PM is the head of government. Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a fresh five-year mandate as prime minister in October 2021, after the Prosperity Party got a parliamentary majority in the June and September elections. The results were disputed by political actors who were left out or who did not participate in the process due to perceived unfairness.

The bicameral Parliament includes the House of Peoples’ Representatives, with 547 members directly elected to five-year terms and the 153-seat House of Federation, whose members are elected by state assemblies to five-year terms. The June and September 2021 regional and parliamentary elections benefited from alterations in electoral laws and reform of the NEBE (National Electoral Board of Ethiopia) which upgraded the body’s operations and stimulated more opposition parties to participate. Some 46 political parties took part in the elections, fielding 9,505 candidates. 90 percent of registered voters of around 37 million people who registered to vote, cast a ballot. Final results from the NEBE confirmed a brute majority for the Prosperity Party, which won 448 constituencies after the September round.

Quite a lot of reforms to the electoral system have taken shape under Prime Minister Abiy. Despite considerable improvements, the 2021 elections were fraught with registration problems, insecurity, and other challenges that limited acceptance of the results. Several political parties raised concerns about the shutting of their offices by security agents, imprisonment, harassment, and killings of their members. Key opposition groups eventually boycotted the election, leaving many seats uncontested. While far more competitive than previous elections, the 2021 polls still fell far short of conferring broad-based validity to the elected government among noteworthy political factions.