Date: Sat, 23 May 2015 13:48:56 +0200
*If Ethiopia on Sunday elect a parliament, the winner is clear already. The repressive state attempted to address the discontent of the population through economic growth.
Thomas Scheen Author: Thomas Scheen, political correspondent for Africa, based in Johannesburg. (Orignal German Article)
Thomas Scheen Author: Thomas Scheen, political correspondent for Africa, based in Johannesburg. (Orignal German Article)23.05.2015
© AFP
Past is never passed Reworking of Ethiopian civil war at an election rally of the EPRDF
Five months ago, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told more political diversity a question of survival for his country. "This is an existential issue for us. If we do not become a true multiparty democracy, we like Somalia "ends, the man said to the foreign press. In the audience that looked a little patronizing. Finally, the ruling party 'Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front "(EPRDF) has 456 of 457 seats held in parliament and has ruled the country for 25 years with an iron fist.
If on Sunday 36.8 million of the total 94 million Ethiopians elect a new parliament, the winner is already clear. The only interesting question will be the after turnout. And as with all previous elections the opposition complained this time, to be systematically prevented from campaigning and constantly become victims of administrative harassment. "There is no political space in Ethiopia," says about Yilekal Getinet, president of the opposition party Semayawi: "The government is using repressive laws against dissidents in front, and numerous civil society activists and journalists are either in jail or have fled the country. "
© AFP
Past is never passed Reworking of Ethiopian civil war at an election rally of the EPRDF
Five months ago, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told more political diversity a question of survival for his country. "This is an existential issue for us. If we do not become a true multiparty democracy, we like Somalia "ends, the man said to the foreign press. In the audience that looked a little patronizing. Finally, the ruling party 'Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front "(EPRDF) has 456 of 457 seats held in parliament and has ruled the country for 25 years with an iron fist.
If on Sunday 36.8 million of the total 94 million Ethiopians elect a new parliament, the winner is already clear. The only interesting question will be the after turnout. And as with all previous elections the opposition complained this time, to be systematically prevented from campaigning and constantly become victims of administrative harassment. "There is no political space in Ethiopia," says about Yilekal Getinet, president of the opposition party Semayawi: "The government is using repressive laws against dissidents in front, and numerous civil society activists and journalists are either in jail or have fled the country. "
New President Desalgn relies on economic growth
Truly free elections, it has actually been in Ethiopia only in 2005. Back then won in Parliament, the opposition, according to official figures 172 of the 547 seats, however, thought to have taken over the majority. It was followed by street battles, in which more than 200 people were killed, and new laws that ahndeten any form of criticism tough penalties under the guise of fighting terrorism. In the following elections in 2010 the EPRDF scoring with 99.6 percent prompt a result which was their most embarrassing yourself.
Since then, however, the political occupation has changed. In the 2013 surprisingly deceased charismatic Prime Minister Meles Zenawi followed Hailemariam Desalegn, a hitherto largely unknown technocrat, who was nevertheless still determined by Meles as his successor. Hailemariam sees his most important task since in driving the growth of the country. He wants to escape the displeasure of the people with economic opportunities for advancement to the ground. For five years, the Ethiopian economy is growing, according to the World Bank constantly by ten percent a year. Calculated over the past decade, the growth is still eight percent.
In addition, Ethiopia, in terms of population, after Nigeria potentially second largest market on the continent. But only 14 percent of the gross domestic product is generated by industrial production. To change this situation, the government attracts increasingly to foreign investors. But give yourself hesitant because the state interferes in Ethiopia anytime, anywhere. This begins with the review of the "proper ideology" of young students during their enrollment and does not end on at investment authorizations.
Ethiopia is a key ally of America
As it happens still in Ethiopia, show only the conditions for candidacy in the also taking place next Sunday regional elections. All candidates of 58 parties have been previously subjected to a "verification" by the National Electoral Commission. Officially, the goal was to reduce the number of candidates for organizational reasons to twelve in each constituency. That on the same occasion the promising challengers of EPRDF candidates were filtered out, the Electoral Commission denies vehemently course.
Until Ethiopia actually is a genuine multi-party democracy, it will probably take a very long time, even if this particular America constantly sends a reminder. But these demands for political opening and freedom of expression are at best lip service. In Washington and in Brussels wants to be rather not imagine how Ethiopia would look like if the populated part of the country from Somalis of Ogaden would no longer be under the control of the army sharp.
The Ethiopian government is the view of the Americans, a "strategic partner" and by far the most important African allies in the fight against radical Islamists. The Ethiopian army is 4,000 soldiers of a total of 17,000 man-counting task force of the African Union for Somalia (AMISOM). And without the services Ethiopian Americans knew presumably not much about what is happening in Somalia.
*Google Translation