Borkena
Toronto – Yohannes Tessema, a member of the Benishangul Gumuz region and an executive member of the Boro Democratic Party (BDP), has reportedly been arrested by regional security forces. The arrest comes amid ongoing opposition to recent legislative changes that have sparked controversy in the region.
According to Haile Embiyale, a central committee member of the Boro Democratic Party, Yohannes was arrested on March 9 as he was preparing to leave for Addis Ababa. His planned trip was to lodge complaints at the House of Federation regarding legislative changes that significantly increased the number of seats in the regional council.
Mr. Haile told Ethiopian Media Services (EMS) that the party has received information confirming Yohannes is being held at the district two police station in Assosa town. At the time of this writing, he has not appeared in court.
The arrest is reportedly linked to Yohannes’ opposition to a motion in the regional parliament and his plans to challenge the legislative changes through the constitutional interpretation court and the House of Federation.
Controversial Legislative Changes
The legislative changes at the center of this dispute have raised significant concerns for the Boro Democratic Party. Before the changes, the regional council had 99 seats. This number was increased to 165, a move the opposition party argues is unconstitutional.
In a detailed statement, the Boro Democratic Party criticized the legislation (202/2017), which they claim was passed by a majority vote. The party argues that the changes not only alter the number of seats but also involve the creation of new electoral districts and the removal of old ones. They contend that these changes fail to consider population numbers, a requirement outlined in Ethiopia’s Constitution, Article 54 (3).
The party also asserts that the regional council lacks the authority to make changes related to regional council general elections. The party also pointed out the constitutional amendment issues are already handled by the National Dialogue Commission.
Political Context and Broader Implications
The ruling Prosperity Party, which claims to have over 15 million members, dominates both federal and regional parliaments. It has not yet commented on Yohannes’ arrest or the Boro Democratic Party’s allegations.
Meanwhile, the regional government has accused the opposition party of attempting to “restore the region to chaos.
The region has experienced severe security crises which mostly involved the massacre of thousands of ethnic Amharas.
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