Prosperity Party Prepares Sweeping Administrative Restructuring Following Seventh General Election Results, Directing Long-Serving Officials Toward New Diplomatic Roles
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Months after Ethiopia’s National Election Board officially announced the seventh general election results, the Prosperity Party has been working on cabinet formation plans that are said to give 70 to 80 percent of senior government roles to new appointees in its next administration, according to Wazema.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who also leads the party, informed current ministers and state ministers of the decision directly during a meeting held this week. He instructed long-serving officials to prepare for “new roles,” including potential diplomatic postings as ambassadors.
Addressing a gathering of senior officials, Abiy stated that 70 to 80 percent of top positions would see new leadership. He has held private and consecutive meetings with outgoing leadership since making the decision.
Five years ago, Prime Minister Abiy allocated three out of 22 cabinet portfolios to opposition leaders. Sources indicate he may appoint opposition figures to cabinet roles again in the incoming administration. However, no indication exists as to whether selections will come from the same opposition parties.
Wazema cited unspecified opposition leaders to report that they have received no formal requests from the government so far. Despite this, some individual party leaders claimed they were promised cabinet seats.
The Prime Minister has held separate closed-door sessions with ministers and state ministers in Addis Ababa over the past two weeks. Meetings with state ministers began this week, with strict security measures prohibiting participants from bringing mobile phones into the sessions. Discussions have extended beyond past performance reviews to evaluate new strategic documents and group frameworks.
Before the election, the ruling party engaged in dialogue with various political groups, though sources clarify these talks excluded negotiations over parliamentary seats or government positions. The opposition appointments in the 2021 cabinet stemmed from direct personal negotiations with individuals rather than formal coalition agreements. Political parties that do not secure federal positions have formally requested roles in upcoming regional or city administrations, though no formal written submissions have been made. However, it remains unspecified which political parties did so.
At the regional level, administrative restructuring is already underway. Authorities have suspended several local officials following post-election performance evaluations that identified failures in managing election responsibilities. Regional sources confirmed that these suspended officials will not join the incoming cabinets. Additionally, ongoing anti-corruption campaigns continue to target other regional administrators as post-election reviews progress.
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