Never mind that national elections may get rigged, manipulated, or are always within the possibility of having irregularities, only to use the terminology of what seems to now be the industry of election observation.

It is good to regularly hold national elections, agree those at the gossip corridors.

At least they do two things. The big guys from incumbent parties, who are masked by protocol, protected by security details, and sheltered by bureaucratic luxury offices as well as distanced from the public, emerge bare-naked when they appear on national TV, battling electoral debates, observed gossip. Their accountability lies neither with their party bosses and political godfathers, nor would it be to a narrow constituency within the party’s rank and file. The voting public comes to see, through the prism of the “idiot box,” as some at the gossip corridors would call television, the depth of their thoughts and their ability to articulate them.

But more importantly, it is that critical moment where the bigwigs of an incumbent administration come down from their ivory towers and face the electorate in their respective constituencies. It is a defining period during the election cycle where these politicians are reminded that they cannot behave and act with impunity for eternity. Every five years, they will have to face the voting public in a desperate bid to win as many votes as they can.

Speaking of constituencies, those at the gossip corridors are rather puzzled by some leaders in the opposition bloc, such as Negasso Gidada (PhD), Gebru Asrat, and Seyee Abraha et al. who are currently touring North America. It tells something of their priorities, for them to spend time with their supporters in distant lands, as opposed to those registered, who could probably vote for them here in the country.

Candidates of the incumbent party have all gone to their constituencies, delegating much of their administrative duties in the government to their deputies, gossip learnt. One such candidate is Brehane Adelo, secretary of the cabinet, running for Federal Parliament from Kefa Zone’s constituency, against his challenger, Asheber W. Giorgis, a dentist who runs on a private platform. The going appears to get tough for Brehane in the south, gossip claims. He spent a couple of weeks there campaigning, only to get back to Addis in order to delegate his duties and return back home to continue his bid to overcome the indomitable Asheber, claims gossip.

Asheber has already made electoral officials busy, lodging complaints that his supporters are subjected to harassment.

Nonetheless, Brehane is not alone in this list of emerging leaders of the Revolutionary Democrats, according to gossip. Tefera Derebew, minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD), and Deriba Kuma, minister of Transport and Communications (MoTC), have begun their campaign trails in their respective constituencies in the Amhara and Oromia regional states, respectively.

According to the verdict from gossip corridors, it is unlikely for the opposition bloc, divided and fragmented, to beat the Revolutionary Democrats in the overall result. However, there will be pockets of constituencies where the incumbent will have to prepare itself to live with the loss of seats to the opposition, gossip foresees.