BY SOLOMON DIBABA
The Sixth National Election has been conducted in Ethiopia on the 21st of June with the voters presenting themselves at polling stations to cast their ballots for the parties of their choice. In so many ways, compared to all pervious elections this national election was indeed to first of its kind to be conducted under multiple sets of reforms that are currently underway in the country.
The election and its entire deliberations was part of the national reform program that is gaining momentum in the country.
The electorate in Ethiopia has defied the expectations from the western countries and various media outlets that thought the very idea of election in Ethiopia would trigger a civil war that would lead to the disintegration of the country.
According to the reports from the NEBE, Some 9, 327 candidates out of which 1,976 are women contested for seats in the House of People’s Representatives and regional councils. Out of the total 547 seats in House of People’s Representatives, 509 candidates will grab the seats at the end of the two rounds the election. The remaining 38 seats are left for representatives from Tigray region.
The uniqueness of the current national election lies in the fact that it is being coordinated by an independent electoral board that labored from dawn to dusk to convert this day into a reality. On the other hand, for the first time in the history of this country, the 6th National Election registered the highest turnout of registration with 37.4 million.
Furthermore, National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has issued accreditation to 45,000 domestic and 45 local civic society organizations to observe the election. Other than 120 international observers, the Africa Union and the East African Standby Force will monitor the election process.
In terms of international media coverage, 89 journalists from 29 international media outlets have arrived here to cover the 6th National Election. In total in addition to this some 2000 local journalists across the country were conducting live transmissions of the election. This clearly indicates the desire of the peoples of Ethiopia and the government to conduct the election in the most transparent manner.
Despite the challenges faced by the proliferation of COVID-19 pandemic and other socio-economic challenges including the sanctions imposed on Ethiopia by the US Administration with regard to the situation in Tigray, the peoples of Ethiopia were determined to live up to their expectations in making the election a reality.
This historic election has been conducted at the wake of the second round of filling GERD which is expected to happen soon during the rainy season in Ethiopia. The establishment of a new political culture as a super structural system will be buttressed with a sound economic base that rests on the production of massive renewable energy resources that are of crucial importance for the country.
As noted earlier, the 6th National Election heralds the inception of a new era in the history of this country in the sense that right from the start it has proved to be fair, credible, democratic and participatory both in terms of the number of contestants and their gender mix.
The election is also the first of its kind in terms of conducting the national greening program along with the election process to ensure the promotion of the Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy of the country issued in 2011.
Besides, the number of competing parties which took part in the election is the highest ever in the electoral history of Ethiopia. This has ushered a new trend in the development of democratic order in the country and a new stage of democratic culture hitherto unknown in this country.
The quality of the coordination and management of the entire election process emanated from the highly professional caliber of the leadership and staff of NEBE, their discipline and a spirit of dedication exhibited by the organization. The handling of the entire election process in the country by NEBE was impartial and frank approach in its consultation with competing political parties and all concerned stakeholders.
I must also say that government political commitment and special support provided to the NEBE in terms of budget allocation and logistics support had contributed to the general success of the country on the Election Day.
On the other hand, the entire election process has helped to cement a spirit of unity of purpose both among the peoples of Ethiopia and the competing political parties.
Indeed, June 21 was also an important day in the history of this country in which international media conspiracy was foiled pertaining to the election. When the election was conducted peacefully beyond their expectations, they are now trying to spread false and fabricated news to make the international community remain doubtful of the entire electoral deliberations.
Ethiopians casted their ballots at the polling stations with full compliance to COVID-19 virus protocols in preventing and controlling the virus. Masks and sanitizers were provided at the polling stations as part of the precautionary measures in combating the virus.
The most important part of the election however is the establishment a new electoral culture that has helped to lay the cornerstone for future elections that is to be conducted in the country in the future.
The effective coordination between law enforcement bodies and other sector institutions in the country and the social discipline manifested by the voters was very important for smooth running of the election in all the polling stations across the country.
This was an election in which Ethiopia literally won and had managed to qualify for conducting a credible, fair, democratic election in Africa. Given the challenges that the country had faced over the last three years, the successes and learning processes attained in the 6th National Election will certainly add up to the formation of a new political order and culture in the country.
Ethiopia is not conducting a credible and democratic election to please any country. The promotion of full democracy in Ethiopia is a matter of survival for this country and its peoples. If Ethiopia is to strive and thrive in the development of full-fledged democracy, a democratic election, be it today or after several years is an irreversible path to progress. The 6th National Election is a decisive step in the right direction.
Ethiopia expects to see major successes in the first month of the Ethiopian New Year capped with the second filling of GERD and the formation of a new legislative body that will endorse a new government in this country. It therefor stands to reason that the current election is a bridge to a new political system in the country.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JUNE 23/2021
