Ethiopia is readying itself for the upcoming make-or-break general election with preparation in the offing. The 6th general poll has come at a very crucial juncture as the country is going through national reform which has been accompanied by myriad of good things and worrying challenges. The new administration has been setting on mountains of dossiers since it took power in 2018.
Improving the human right record and widening democratic and political rights have been the ancient and urgent demand of the public. In fact, the administration spared no time to take the much-needed measures. The revocation of the draconian anti-terrorism law, the release of imprisoned politicians and journalists, the delisting of banned political parties from the list of terrorist organizations and the unblocking of blocked TV stations and thousands of blogs were one of the reforms that earned the incumbent a standing ovation. These steps emboldened anchor political parties and dissidents to come back home and continue their peaceful political struggle.
The ongoing national reforms including the above measures did not only improve the overall democratic and political track records of the country but also made both Ethiopian people and the international community to be optimist for fair, free and peaceful election. Above all, the establishment of an independent electoral board has been a dramatic turnaround which was known for holding rigged and sham elections.
Now that political parties are campaigning and voters are registering, Ethiopia is on the eve of a historic election. But, the election processes are not without problems. The instability in some volatile areas has had its fair share of impact in the voters’ registration process and political campaigns. To curb the daunting challenges, the incumbent is working with stakeholders and vowed its resolve to ensuring stability and addressing other grievances of political parties thereby holding fair, free and peaceful election. However, delivering a credible election rests neither on the electoral board nor on the ruling.
Holding effective election rather millstone poll requires the engagement of all parties. Fielding neutral, local and foreign observers is one the prerequisites in this regard. Local civil societies, democratic institutions as well as regional, continental and international observers have a key role to play in elections.
So far, the African Union, the European Union and the U.S. have expressed their interest to send election observers and Ethiopia is keen to see the observers attend the poll. What matters is the neutrality and credibility of the observers. Election observers be it local or foreign must be serving nothing but the truth. Avoiding own political interests and using reports for other purposes do not contribute to the democratic process of the country and it would tarnish the integrity of the observers. Ethiopia is very much aware of the concerns of the international community and their precondition to send observers. However, it would prove more imperative that the international community witness the poll first hand than criticize it from distance later on. Ethiopia is at its disposal to offer the required assistance to observers against this backdrop. Holding fair, free and peaceful election after all is about putting the democratic culture of the country at its strongest foundation.
The Ethiopian Herald 30 April 2021
