Opposition Party Denounces Assembly as Partisan Exercise Conducted Amid Expanding War, Urging New Impartial Reconciliation Framework
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) has formally rejected the legitimacy of the National Dialogue Assembly, characterizing the entire initiative as a partisan proxy of the ruling Prosperity Party that lacks freedom, independence, and broad-based credibility.
In an official statement reviewed by Borkena, the opposition party declared that it will not recognize the outcomes of the assembly, asserting that the dialogue was conducted while the country suffers under an expanding war driven by the ruling administration.
The EPRP stressed that a national dialogue should serve as an inclusive platform to address deep-rooted political questions on an equal footing. Instead, the party argued, the government has prioritized military force over genuine political resolution, exposing Ethiopian citizens to severe conflicts, mass displacement, arbitrary detentions, and economic collapse under an authoritarian system.
The statement criticized the ruling Prosperity Party for utilizing the four-week assembly to consolidate its grip on power rather than fostering genuine national consensus. The EPRP alleged that the administration brought forward contentious, highly polarizing issues dividing the political elite—topics that had not received adequate consultation—and attempted to push them through without proper agreement.
“An entity that created the crisis can never be the entity that solves it,” the party stated, emphasizing that meaningful dialogue requires fundamental pre-conditions, including the release of political prisoners, an immediate end to ongoing armed hostilities, and equal participation free from ruling party influence.
The EPRP leveled detailed accusations against government policies in major urban centers, particularly Addis Ababa and surrounding areas:
- The party condemned the “Corridor Development” and “Sheger City” initiatives, alleging that they have caused unlawful displacement, violated the rights of indigenous residents, and led to the destruction of places of worship.
- According to the statement, residents in Sheger City have been subjected to forced financial contributions for local militias, the Oromia Development Association, cobblestone paving, wall paint, and administrative compound upgrades.
- The party also accused the administration of illegally selling farmland, engaging in systemic corruption, and sidelining professional experts in favor of ethnic quotas and political loyalty.
Directing attention to Dire Dawa, the EPRP described the city’s current governance framework as “apartheid-like legislation” that uses percentage-based ethnic allocations to disenfranchise the broader populace.
Concluding its statement, the EPRP called for an entirely new, impartial, and all-inclusive national dialogue and reconciliation process acceptable to all political stakeholders and the public.
The party’s rejection comes despite repeated assertions by the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission that the assembly was conducted independently, inclusively, and in accordance with established participatory methodologies.
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