2021 Ethiopian general election

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2021 Ethiopian general election
← 2015 21 June 2021 (most regions)
30 September 2021 (Harari, SNNPR, and Somali)		 2025 →
483 out of 547 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives
274 seats needed for a majority
Registered37 million[1]
Turnout90%[1]
  Abiy Ahmed during state visit of Reuven Rivlin to Ethiopia, May 2018.jpg Birhanu Nega.png Belete Molla.png
Leader Abiy Ahmed Berhanu Nega Belete Molla
Party Prosperity Party Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice National Movement of Amhara
Last election New party New party New party
Seats needed Steady Increase 270 Increase 269
Incumbent Prime Minister

Abiy Ahmed
Prosperity Party



The 2021 Ethiopian general election to elect members of the House of Peoples' Representatives was held on 21 June 2021 and 30 September 2021. Regional elections were also held on those dates.

The election was initially scheduled for 29 August 2020[2] but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Regional and municipal council elections were also planned to be held at the same time.[4] In May 2020, the sitting House of Peoples' Representatives voted to postpone the election until 2021.[5] In late December 2020, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said the election would take place on 5 June 2021,[6] before it was further delayed[7] until 21 June. It was the first multi-party election in Ethiopia since the 2005 election.[8]

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the political coalition that had dominated Ethiopian politics since the overthrow of the Derg regime in 1991, was dissolved on 1 December 2019. Three of its four-member parties, the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM), merged to form the Prosperity Party, which inherited the EPRDF's role as the governing party. The last leader of the EPRDF, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, became the new party's first leader.[citation needed]

Bekele Gerba and Jawar Mohammed, members of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC),[9] were imprisoned on 30 June 2020 following a crackdown by the government after the murder of Hachalu Hundessa.[10] On 19 September 2020, both were charged with terrorism.[11][9] Jawar denied the charges and claimed the arrests were politically motivated.[11] The Oromo Federalist Congress and the Oromo Liberation Front were planning to participate in the election but withdrew,[12] claiming that the results would be rigged under the Prime Minister.[13]

The election was a landslide victory for the Prosperity Party.[14][15] On 30 September 2021, voting took place in 47 constituencies of the Harari, SNNPR, and Somali regions.[16] Results have yet to been released. The House of Peoples' Representatives confirmed incumbent Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for a five-year term on 4 October 2021.[17]

Background[edit]

Wollo, Amhara Region[edit]

A conflict between Oromo residents and Amhara Special Forces started in January 2021. According to Hassan Hadiya, a resident of Kemise, it started after Amhara Special Forces killed a person at the entrance of the grand mosque in Ataye, in the Oromia Zone of the Amhara Region. Another resident of Kemise, Ahmed, stated the Amhara region Liyu Police were attacking civilians. Eyewitnesses blamed the Amhara regional special forces while the Amhara regional government accused both the OLF-Shene and TPLF of the violence.[18][19] Two Members of the Ethiopian parliament accused Amhara Liyu police of killing an Oromo civilian in Ataye by labeling them what he called "bread name" refers to OLF. "Amhara Militia used OLF-Shane as a pretext to commit war crime on Oromo farmers in Wollo for the three major reasons the MP said on 11th Session of parliament of Ethiopia. The reasons are: (1) their national identity (being an Oromo), (2) their religious identity (being Muslim), and (3) use the atrocity as a bargaining threat to fulfill all their demands in the Oromia region."[20] On the occasion of the attack of Wallo Oromos in Oromia Zone of Amhara Region by Amhara region militia in March 2021, OPP and APP came with opposite statements, each blaming the other ethnic group for being the cause of the violence and killings.[21][22] Borkena news website and Amhara region official claimed OLF targeted Ataye town.[23]

Shashemene[edit]

Shashamane, a town south of Addis Ababa, was the scene of a massacre[24][25][26][27][28] which targeted Orthodox Christians and ethnic Amharas. The violence was triggered by the murder of singer Hachalu Hundessa in a Galan condominium. An umbrella humanitarian organization, OTAGE, has engaged a legal firm, specialising in international crimes, to bring those responsible to justice.

Tigray War[edit]

Main article: Tigray War

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant component of the EPRDF, was the only constituent party that had not merged into the Prosperity Party. In September 2020, the Tigray Region held a regional election that the Prosperity Party-led government deemed illegal.[29]

On 4 November, Tigray regional security forces attacked the headquarters of the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), leading to armed conflict in the between the government and the Tigray region. In late 2020, the Tigray Region government was replaced by the Transitional Government of Tigray.[30] TPLF was then dissolved by NEBE.[31] There have been reports of war crimes[32][33][34][35][36][37][38] committed against civilians since the breakout of the war.

Parties and coalitions[edit]

Party Main ideologies Political position Leader
Prosperity Party Liberalism Centre[39][40] Abiy Ahmed
National Movement of Amhara Amhara nationalism Right-wing Belete Molla
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Liberalism
Ethiopian nationalism 		Centre Berhanu Nega
Medrek Social democracy Centre-left Merera Gudina
Ogaden National Liberation Front Somali nationalism Centre-left Mohammed Omar Osman
All Ethiopian Unity Party Federalism Centre-right Mamushet Amare
Balderas Party Conservative liberalism
Addis Ababa localism
Nationalism 		Centre-right Eskinder Nega

Delays[edit]

In addition to the Tigray War, there have also been reports of delays in both constituencies and entire regions due to security concerns and logistics.

Constituencies[edit]

On 22 May, the National Election Board of Ethiopia announced that 40 constituencies in six regions would not hold elections on the same day, but later. According to the Board, this was from a lack of voter registration, logistical issues, and security problems in many constituencies.[41]

Regions[edit]

On 6 June, the National Election Board further stated that due to irregularities in printing ballot papers, the election in the Harari region and the Somali region would be held in a second round on 6 September. This also came when the board announced voting would not take place in the war-torn Tigray Region. Combined, these regions constitute 63 out of 547 seats.[42] In August, the voting date was moved once again to 30 September 2021.[43]

Results[edit]

On 10 July, partial election results were released with the Prosperity Party winning at least 410 seats, well enough to secure the majority and remain in power.[44][45] The National Movement of Amhara won 5 seats, Ethiopian Citizens For Social Justice Party won 4 seats, Gedeo People's Democratic Party won 2 seats, and 1 seat went to an independent candidate.[46][47] On 30 September 2021, the elections took place in 47 constituencies which had been delayed. Results from those constituencies have yet to be announced.[16] On 4 October 2021, the House of Peoples' Representatives confirmed incumbent Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for a five-year term.[17]

Ethiopia House of Peoples' Representatives.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Prosperity Party410New
National Movement of Amhara5New
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice4New
Gedeo People's Democratic Party2–
Independent2–
Total4230
Registered voters/turnout38,234,910–
Source: Nebe, Nebe

Reactions[edit]

Getachew Reda, a spokesperson for the Tigray People's Liberation Front, mocked the election in a tweet, saying the Tigray Defense Forces had captured hundreds of ENDF soldiers as a gift for Abiy's "coronation as the Naked Emperor of Ethiopia."[48]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Abiy's party wins landslide victory in Ethiopia election". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  2. ^ Endeshaw, Dawit (2020-01-15). "Ethiopia sets tentative August date for elections". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  3. ^ "NEBE Says Impossible To Hold Election As Per Scheduled Due To COVID-19". fanabc.com. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ "African election calendar 2020". Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  5. ^ "የህገ መንግስቱ ሶስት አንቀጾች ትርጓሜ እንዲሰጥባቸው በፓርላማ ተወሰነ" [Parliament has decided to interpret three articles of the constitution] (in Amharic). National Election Board of Ethiopia. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Ethiopian electoral board sets June 5 for national polls - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  7. ^ "Ethiopia delays polls again amid security, logistical challenges". Al Jazeera. 15 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Ethiopia to hold delayed elections on June 21 - vote board". Reuters. 20 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Ethiopia files terrorism charges against opposition leaders". Yahoo! News. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  10. ^ "Why Ethiopian gov't arrested Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  11. ^ a b "Jawar Mohammed: Top Ethiopia opposition figure 'proud' of terror charge". BBC News. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  12. ^ "Oromo Liberation Front takes queue after OFC, opted out of Election". Borkena.com. 2021-03-05.
  13. ^ "Ethiopia: Oromo Opposition Party to Boycott 2021 Elections". stratfor.com. December 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Abiy's party wins landslide victory in Ethiopia election". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  15. ^ "Ethiopia PM Abiy's party wins landslide victory in June parliamentary poll". France 24. 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  16. ^ a b Mersie, Ayenat (2021-09-30). "Ethiopians in three regions vote in delayed election". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  17. ^ a b Endeshaw, Dawit (2021-10-04). "Ethiopian parliament confirms Abiy Ahmed as prime minister". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  18. ^ Addisstandard (2021-03-22). "News: Unknown number of people killed in the ongoing violence in Oromia Special Zone and North Shewa Zone, Amhara region as warring factions trade blame". Addis Standard. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  19. ^ Addisstandard (2019-04-08). "News: Security forces ordered to take measures as weekend violence claims lives". Addis Standard. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  20. ^ Gaaffilee Hirmaattota Mana Mareerraa ka'ee, retrieved 2021-04-17
  21. ^ Addisstandard (2021-03-24). "News: Amhara & Oromia PP engage in war of words as relative peace returns to violence-hit areas". Addis Standard. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  22. ^ Addisstandard (2021-03-22). "News: Unknown number of people killed in ongoing violence in Oromia Special Zone and North Shewa Zone, Amhara region as warring factions trade blame". Addis Standard. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  23. ^ "Ataye : Oromo Liberation Front opened war in Amhara region". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  24. ^ Gebremariam, Kebadu Mekonnen (2020-08-09). "Why Ethnic Cleansing in Ethiopia Was Triggered by a Musician's Murder but Did Not Arise from It". Medium. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  25. ^ Tebeje, Alyou. "Concealing the Amara Genocide Is Promoting Amara Massacre!". EthioPoint: Ethiopians Analysis | Research Articles. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  26. ^ "Ethiopia : The People who are being slaughtered for no reason". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  27. ^ "'My son died the worst kind of death': Horrific details of violent unrest in Ethiopia". The Mail & Guardian. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  28. ^ "How a musician's death unleashed violence and death in Ethiopia". The Guardian. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  29. ^ "Ethiopia's Tigray region defies PM Abiy with 'illegal' election". France 24. 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  30. ^ "Tigray Interim Administration, Residents of Mekelle City Conducting Discussion". Ethiopian News Agency. 2020-12-25. Archived from the original on 2020-12-26. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  31. ^ "Ethiopia Pulls Tigray Party License Ahead of June Elections". Bloomberg.com. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  32. ^ "Eritrean troops massacre hundreds of civilians in Axum, Ethiopia". www.amnesty.org. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  33. ^ "Massacre 'of 750' reported in Aksum church complex, Tigray, Ethiopia". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  34. ^ "Ethiopia: Eritrean Forces Massacre Tigray Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  35. ^ Arvanitidis, Barbara, Nima Elbagir, Bethlehem Feleke, Eliza Mackintosh, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Katie Polglase. "Massacre in the mountains: How an Ethiopian festival turned into a killing spree". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  36. ^ Feleke, Bethlehem , Eliza Mackintosh, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Katie Polglase and Nima Elbagir. "Analysis of massacre video raises questions for Ethiopian Army". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  37. ^ "In an out-of-sight war, a massacre comes to light". Los Angeles Times. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  38. ^ "Evidence suggests Ethiopian military carried out massacre in Tigray". BBC News. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  39. ^ Habtewold, Melaku (December 24, 2019). "Why Prosperity Party is needed" – via www.ethiopia-insight.com.
  40. ^ "Who Will Win the Next Ethiopian Elections?". January 10, 2020 – via www.ezega.com.
  41. ^ "Electoral Board Issues List of 40 Constituencies in Six Regions Where Elections Wont Take Place per Schedule". Addisstandard. 2021-05-22.
  42. ^ "Ethiopia postpones vote in two regions citing irregularities". Reuters. 2021-06-10.
  43. ^ "New Election Calendar Unveiled for Polls in Somali & Harari regions, Southwest referendum". Ethiopian Monitor. 2021-08-24.
  44. ^ "Ethiopia PM wins delayed election". BBC News. 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  45. ^ "Abiy hails 'historic' Ethiopia election after landslide win". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  46. ^ "Ethiopia : Election result points to landslide win for PM Abiy Party". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  47. ^ "Election Result". National Election Board of Ethiopia. 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  48. ^ Irish Times, 23 June 2021: Officials count ballots after Ethiopia’s election, new fighting reported in Tigray
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