BY SOLOMON DIBABA
Why is the upcoming election so important for Ethiopia? I think one can come up with a catalogue of reasons but I would focus only on few of those. In just a few days, Ethiopians would trek to polling stations across the country to elect their leaders for another trench of five years. The election has been postponed due to the devastating effects of COVID-19 but Ethiopia was not the only country to postpone national elections induced by the advent of the pandemic.
Let me start out with some facts. Given the number of parties that are ready to compete in the upcoming elections, the 6th National Election is the first of its kind in terms the number of competing parties. This is important for making the election more participatory and democratic.
All the more, the forthcoming election is conducted in the midst of multiple internal and external conspiracies that the country is facing. Internally, hyperinflation, ethnic based political squabbling and conflicts, sanctions triggered by misinformation, proliferation of COVID-19, manmade and natural disasters and a host of other issues related to the state of the national economy are only some of them. The unholy alliance between Egypt and Sudan to stop Ethiopia from completing GERD and the corresponding saber rattling show off they ramble on the territorial integrity and unity of the country are the major external challenges the nation is facing.
The solutions to these challenges urgently demand the convocation of a new legislative body that should be formed as a result of a nationwide lection and a new government to be formed by the party that will win the forthcoming election.
Furthermore, conducting a national election is a major precondition for the restoration of peace and tranquility in the country and for curbing divisive politics that is aimed at disrupting the election as a tool for silencing the voice of the electorate.
The country is still grappling with numerous issues related to ethnic identity and internal border demarcations between regional states. There are also political demands related to the amendment of the constitution as well as public demands for rural infrastructure development frequently pronounced in the outback areas of the country. Conducting the next election is the only super structural solution that can pave the way for addressing public demands some of which are already overdue.
The next election will certainly set a watershed between pervious elections that were marred with conflicts and over powering of single party that always wins elections at will through clandestine and obscure systems of rigging. So the next election could serve as a dress rehearsal for the current and future elections to be conducted in the country.
The forthcoming election is also very important as an input for the promotion of peace and stability not only in Ethiopia but also for the larger Horn of Africa.
Moreover, conducting a credible, peaceful and democratic and free election is a legal expression of the wishes of the sovereign peoples of Ethiopia.Accountability to the peoples of Ethiopia and their rights on revoking the representation of worthless MPs is the prerogative of the peoples of Ethiopia and not of any power in the country. Speaking on the inauguration of the rehabilitated version of the Meskel Square and newly added public facilities, Prime Minister Abiy said.
A week from today, Ethiopians we will cast our vote in the 6th National Elections, which will be the nation’s first attempt at free & fair elections. As we go to the polls to exercise democratic rights, let us to use the day to exercise civic duty & leave a generational print.
This implies that the election to be conducted soon is a gate to the future a democratic and prosperous country that is destined to be a showcase for Africa.
This election is expected to elevate national optimism for growth and national development and the battle against poverty.
There are a lot of development programs planned to be accomplished over the next ten years through the implementation of the Home Grown Ten Years National Plan. This would mean that the government to be established after the election needs to consider the dialectical relations and the reciprocity between change and continuity. This important because the upcoming administration of the country needs to retain all the pervious achievements of the country and add up new ranges of successes on the already existing ones.
Again, the world is eagerly watching the conduct of Ethiopia’s election results as it could certainly positively affect the implementation of the country’s foreign policy and well established diplomatic relations that the country will pursue in its relations with the neighboring countries, Africa, the rest of the world and the UN Systems.
To make the upcoming election more credible, the NEBE has indeed done everything possible to ensure that the entire election process is legally organized, participatory and well planned. Major international organizations and partner countries have provided some level of support for efforts towards the election. A number of regional organizations and international partners are expected to deploy election observers to monitor the entire election process. Local civil society organizations are also expected to participate on observing the national election.
It is indeed very important for every citizen to remain on guard as there could be internal disruptive forces that would labor from dawn to dusk to discredit the voices of the peoples of Ethiopia. There are shared responsibilities that citizens here and in the Diaspora need to shoulder. This historical opportunity should not be missed.
I will end with the Twitter message from Prime Minister Abiy.
“Go out and vote next Monday. Go out and plant your green legacy too. Let us make it a positively historic day together!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JUNE 17 /2021
