In Ethiopia though there were a number of civil organizations that locally and internationally funded, they had no influential contributions in the past five elections that held in the country due to the restrictive nature of the previous civil organization legal frameworks.
To reverse this, Agency for Civil Society Organizations is currently undertaking different activities to engage civil society organizations on the upcoming 2020 election work in collaboration with the organizations.
Befekadu Wolde Senbet, Head of the Agency told The Ethiopian Herald that the Agency has been creating conducive environment to participate the organizations on upcoming election both in educating the public on election and serving as the observer of the election.
He underscored that depend on the recent inclusive 1113/11 Civil Society Proclamation, the organizations have been working through creating a coalition known as Coalition of the Ethiopian Civil Society Organization for 2020 election.
As to the Head, the organizations have been operating through identifying pre and post election related activities.
He noted that as the current proclamation set by the efforts of the expert team of democracy and human rights related professions, it is very participative and inclusive to all local and international civil society organizations.
Due to this conducive proclamation and commitment of the Agency, the number of civil society organizations obtaining the registration certificates have been increasing after the new proclamation enacted. Merely, within the past eleven months, more than five hundred organizations have registered under the Agency and the total number of the organizations that have been operating in the country reached over 4700.
According to Befekadu, apart from increasing in number under the new proclamation, the participation of the organizations on human and democratic affairs have been augmenting mentioning that in Sidama’s Referendum the organizations served as observer in all 1692 electoral stations.
He stated that from the past election for referendum the organizations obtained experience for the upcoming election. He said that currently to ensure their independence; they established council, so they need to operate free of any political interest before and after election to carry out fair and democratic election.
Tadale Derseh, Executive Director with Vision Ethiopian Congress for Democracy and Ambassador for World Peace and Good Ethics on his part appreciating the current legal framework existing in related to human rights and democracy, he said that in line with this framework to teach and observe election process, his Organization has been working in collaborate with national Election Board of Ethiopia.
He underscored that his Organization was one among the civil organizations which participate in Sidama’s Election for Referendum held on Nov 20, 2019 as observer, in a similar way the Organization has been expecting issuance from Ethiopian National Election Board to participate both in teaching and observing the election.
He stressed that in previous elections that held in the country as the previous framework allow civil organizations to take part either in teaching or observing election, his Organization had been participating in one of the activities. Unlike before, the Organization has planned to participate both in teaching and observing the election.
According to the Director Vision Ethiopian Congress for Democracy has been participating on meeting that has been hosting by national election board regarding the upcoming election.
“I expect the country in its history will make the first fair, democratic and inclusive election that will bring glowing for the country,” he opined.
The Ethiopian Herald January 29/2020
BY TAMERU REGASA
