|
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUDP),
which was expected to take over the administration
of Addis Abeba under the mayoralty of Brehanu Nega
(PhD), declined to do so. The opposition victory
that was celebrated, failed to bare fruit.
Last Sunday’s voting on May 23, 2010, according to
the NEBE’s report, rewarded the incumbent and its
affiliates with 99.5pc of Parliament’s seats, with
only one going to Medrek and one to an independent
candidate.
Oromia, Tigray, Amhara, and Southern Nations,
Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regional states
respectively have 178, 38, 138, and 123 total
parliamentary seats. Only one went to an
independent, in SNNP. Somali, Afar, and Gambella
regional states also gave their 23, eight, and three
seats to members of EPRDF affiliates. Eight of the
nine seats for Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State went
the same way; the result for the ninth is yet to be
declared. Harari Regional State and the Dire Dawa
Council did the same, with their two seats each.
In
2005, Addis Abeba was a total victory for the
opposition parties. This time the EPRDF collected 22
of the 23 seats, leaving just one for Medrek.
The flurry of 79 party registrations at the NEBE saw
only 63 parties able to field candidates Out of the
501 candidates that the EPRDF brought forward, only
two lost, while only one out of 421 Medrek
candidates succeeded. All 549 candidates that
represented the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) and
Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) completely lost.
“This situation destroyed the barely seen multiparty
composition of Parliament in Ethiopian politics,” a
political scientist at Addis Abeba University (AAU),
who requested anonymity, told Fortune.
The 2005 National Elections resulted in a
composition which was fair; it was progressively
coming to a stage of pluralist ideology, he said.
Currently, however, it has gone 19 years backwards,
to the time when the incumbent first took power, he
said. He foresees a dull Parliament where there is
no debate.
“This is good neither for the country nor the
incumbent,” he said. “The incumbent will be losing
experienced politicians to point out issues unseen
by it. If Parliament incorporated different
political parties who have different ideologies, it
would enable member parties to suggest constructive
ideas in all discussions, which would contribute
much to both the legislative and oversight forums in
Parliament for the overall growth of the country.”
The EPRDF’s affiliates include the Somali People’s
Democratic Party (SPDP), Afar National Democratic
Party (ANDP), Harari National League (HNL), Gambella
People’s Unity Democratic Movement (GPUDM) and
Benishangul-Gumuz People’s Democratic Organisation
(BGPDO).
“It is difficult to say that these parties will
oppose the EPRDF,” said a second political scientist
who preferred to remain anonymous. “Based on
previous parliamentary experiences, Parliament will
pass bills unanimously. The situation does not
motivate democracy in the country. This is
discouraging not only for current political parties
but also for future ones.”
For Bereket Tesfalem, 45, a resident of Kotebe
District in Addis Abeba, the loss of the opposition
was very disappointing. The situation has gone back
to the status of the first and second Parliaments,
when bills were passed almost unanimously, he said.
“Personally, I came to the conclusion that it is not
worth being involved in politics in Ethiopia,” he
said. “I think that is why Hailu Shawel (Eng) AEUP
is stepping down.”
Without the opposition and, particularly, the
opposition leaders in Parliament, an unexciting
five-year period is looming large, he opined. The
significant number of seats won by the opposition in
2005 had helped the ruling party see its
disconnection with the people and really worked out
well, as far as connecting with society, which he
sees as a positive influence of the presence of
those parties.
“Now our party is going to lose this [benefit]” said
Bereket, the trucker and EPRDF supporter.
He
likened the outcome of the current elections to his
broken marriage.
“I
myself suffered a lot when my wife and I got
divorced, because I could not manage to handle my
boys alone when she left,” he said. “I felt the pain
of losing her. I think the EPRDF will feel the same
about the opposition parties.”
Parliament has always been dominated by the EPRDF.
When it came to voting on any issue, it hardly made
any difference whether the opposition voted or not.
The incumbent had a clear majority to pass whatever
bill it wanted, no matter the issue.
But the third Parliament experienced more intense
opposition involvement during debates on any issue.
It was what Temesgen Zewdie (MP, Medrek), who lost
his seat in the latest election called “a glimpse of
a multiparty system.”
“Even if there were time constraints on the
opposition, we tried to send the message
accordingly,” he said. “Now the multiparty system is
totally destroyed; we do not have any chance to
raise and discuss economic, development, and social
issues.”
This loss, particularly of the major opposition
leaders, is feared will make Parliament just “a
chamber of the EPRDF” where bills will be passed
“without critical assessment.” Temesgen fears that
dictatorship and not democracy will be in charge
over the next five years.
Parliament has now lost its major opposition
political figures, and the house will be the chamber
of the EPRDF instead of being a debate stage where
people’s voices are heard, Anteneh Ermias, 20, a
second year Social Science student at Hawassa
University agreed.
The third Parliament was good because it
incorporated many parties, but now it is going
backward and the house will be just like the
previous two parliamentary sessions where bills were
adopted without critical assessment, Tadesse Belay,
a government employee in Bahir Dar, echoed.
The EPRDF remains upbeat. Parliament will continue
to be “as lively as ever,” according to Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi.
“The opposition’s absence will not have an impact on
the EPRDF,” said Hailemariam Desalegn, member of the
central committee of the EPRDF. “Parliament controls
implementing bodies of oversight and legislative
functions. It was the EPRDF’s job previously, since
it had a majority in Parliament. Parliament has
received alternative views from different political
parties and will continue to do so.”
It
would have been good if the opposition had a
significant number of seats, although that will not
change the final outcome of decisions, Hailemariam
said.
“We won more than we expected to win,” he admitted,
however.
Tewodros Tamene, 38, is a taxi driver in Adama, who
used to watch the televised parliamentary sessions
every Sunday, on ETV.
“I
do not see the point of watching anymore,” he said.
The EPRDF will be getting no second opinions on
whatever they do in Parliament, he said with the
same tone of concern as the others.
The second political scientist appreciated the Prime
Minister’s offer to consult the opposition on
national issues. However, the parliamentary
structure will not allow it, he fears. That may have
been caused by excessive campaigning by the
incumbent, he surmised.
|
