Ethiopia is related to the holding of elections in 2026. But will they be free and fair?
Ethiopia has prevailed since 1995, every five years other than five years 2021 electionWas postponed by Covid-19. The existing party consistently provided more than 95% of national parliament seats, except 2005 when the opposition wins 32%. Judge Welfare Party in 2021 96.8% of the seats earned.
I specialize In Ethiopian policy and federalism and recently a publication paper in the country’s election view. In my studyFrom 1991 since 2019, I have been investigating the elections with the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian people since 2019 since 2019 and his successor, the prosperity party.
My goal was to see that the Ethiopia was represented by various votes in the state decision, or the authoritarian was moved towards political pluralism.
I conclude that the government still tends suppress, catch and eliminate the opposition. I have identified three main reasons for this.
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Despite the changes in the leadership and ruling parties, state repression, noise and political exception has been the general features in the country’s elections since 1995.
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Ethiopia suffers from an uneven election playing field. Some regions live in competitions while the ruling party manages others in a strong way.
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Etiopia Post-the-post-election system Excluded significant opposition sounds from the parliament. This allows the dominant party to dominate both the federal and regional legislature.
The electoral system means that the parliament of Ethiopia is a Homewhere other votes are drowned.
Mastering research The elections emphasize that both “free” and “unfair”. Citizens are eligible to vote as technically. However, an unbalanced electoral system and an unequal playground ensures the power of ruling parties.
The 2026 elections give an opportunity for reforms that provide greater political.
How do elections work
Ethiopia has held six round elections since 1995. Despite some changes, the same examples of election control are underway. The Judge Welfare Party has sustainable and adapted authoritarian strategies To save Dominance.
The party still uses the tactics of the Ethiopian Democratic Front of the Revolutionary Democratic Front, including the arrest and elimination of political enemies.
There are also some new ways to look for support as support for regional complaints.
Regional differences
In different regions, opposition parties faced various repression rates. The election control was not a unit, but strategically.
Unlike previous investigations to assess the authoritarian ex-Ethiopia’s authoritarian ex research Zooms in regional change in the election contest. I not unit repression, but strategically applied based on political calculations. This adds a new measure to discussions related to the African elections. This indicates that the control parties can be the finetune control tactics to target the special threats of ruling parties.
One Ethnically varied federal state An election system that promotes as Ethiopia widely represented essential for stability and inclusive management.
First post-post system
The existing winner is the whole system political monopoly. It solves critical prospects and trusts in democratic processes.
In the 2021 elections of 2021, opposition parties performed in ethnic various areas such as South Nations, nations and nations. However, these parties were very struck in political castles, such as the oromy and the Somali. The first post-post system consistently led to one side advantage when opposition parties won significant public support.
For example, in 2005 the opposition parties were provided around 38% The voting ended with a parliamentary seat than the sound rate of the voice shares.
In 2021, the Prosperity Party, despite receiving 90% of the total sound, won 96.8% of the federal parliament seats. Opposition groups like additional Ababa, Balderas and Ezema received 32% of the votes, however Seats do not win In parliament. The reason for this, all the seats of the system provide the highest voice in each circle. It does not matter that the opposition parties will be able to vote in collectively.
In Oromy and Somali regions, large opposition parties Oromo Liberation Front and Ogaden National Freedom Front rising from candidates for repression. As a result, the ruling party was two-thirds of the federal seats and the only choice for two-thirds of regional seats.
A way forward
So what can be done? Mastering research offers three steps.
First, to go to the side Proportional representative system would help balance the political competition. Proportional representation means that if a party receives 20% of the voting, receives 20% of the seats.
About 130 countriesUse this system, including South Africa, Namibia and Sierra Leone. Multi-sided representation caused more stable and inclusive management. Less than 55 countries Use the first past.
Second, the government should guarantee that opposition parties can only be free in all regions, not only in areas where they have a small threat. All parties must have equal chance to compete.
Third, independent election bodies and international observers require more access to a fair game. Ethiopia will prevent public confidence in the elections to ensure strengthening and impartial election.
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Ethiopian Civil War: What is behind the Amhara rebellion?
The democracy of Ethiopia is at a point. If the country continues with its current system, the risk of political alienation and instability. By accepting election reforms, Ethiopia can move to a more peaceful, comprehensive, democratic and representative future.
