Ethiopia: EPRDF executive to kick-off meeting tomorrow

EPRDF executive will discuss current situation in Ethiopia, among other things

borkena
August 7,2019

The ruling party in Ethiopia, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), disclosed that its executive committee is meeting as of Thursday this week.

Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) cited the party’s council office to report that the party’s performance report and current national affairs are among agenda items for this particular meeting.

There is anticipation that the 36 members of EPRDF executive will pass the decision and announce “direction”, as the party calls it, after evaluating performance and Ethiopia’s current situation.

The meeting usually takes one to two days but it can be longer than that too.

The ruling party is facing internal and external challenges. Externally, an ethnic-based political system with all its support structure heightened political tension in the country causing a security crisis and internal displacement across the country.

Many of the nine ethnic-based Federal regions have experienced violence mainly targeting those Ethiopians who are not deemed “locals” in the ethnic-based regions.

Internally, it is now public that at least two of member parties of the ruling coalition are not in good terms.

Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) – a party that used to dominate federal government power until it lost it in April 2018 –  accused its senior partner in the coalition, Amhara Democratic Party(ADP), in connection with the incident on June 22 which the Federal government called “attempted coup d’état.” TPLF was specific enough that it wanted to ADP to take responsibility for the incident and apologize for the people of Ethiopia.

ADP had to call a meeting following TPLF accusation, apparently in a move to respond to it,  and issued what many Ethiopians called a “strong statement” condemning TPLF for all the political mess in the country.  The statement has got popularity well beyond ethnic Amhara Ethiopians.

There is also a rumor that Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) is experiencing friction with ADP as the latter is allegedly resisting growing ODP interest in dominating the federal government, the economy, and the military. However, the unease between the two parties is not in the open.

Wrangling in South Ethiopian People Democratic Movement (SEPDM) is another challenge that EPRDF is facing. The region that it administers experienced violence recently as radicalized ethnic Sidama youth (ejeto), who are linked to radicalized ethnic Oromo nationalist politicians and activists, unilaterally declared a regional state bypassing constitutional procedures. 

The violence claimed at least 53 lives, as confirmed by the zone’s police commander. The Federal government had to deploy the defense force to control the situation. Political pundits seem to think that SEPDM could break up into pieces.

There are speculations impacts of the situation within SEPDM could be agenda item for EPRDF executive.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Abiy hinted during his latest press conference with local journalists that the party is working on the idea of transforming the coalition into a unified single party. He said that there is agreement on the idea among all members parties.

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