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President Girma's 10-page speech incorporated a
proclamation of positions on foreign policy
including the Somalia and Eritrea issues. The
82-year-old then went on to cover agriculture
development, investment, finance and tax, good
governance and strengthening of law enforcement
agencies. The controversial drafts of a press law,
party financing as well as a NGO conduct were also
raised.
Shiferew then called for wholehearted acceptance of
the speech proclamations to be endorsed in the
coming year.
Waiting their turn, the opposition motions focused
primarily on issues they believed were neglected or
deemphasised in the President's speech.
According to Parliament's Code of Conduct, an
amendment of a motion may move on a substantive
motion, a proposal that stands by itself, and is
approved by the House Speaker. Such a motion should
move certain words to be waved for the purpose of
clarity and would contest whether certain words
should be excluded or replaced by suitable ones.
The amendment motion introduced by Temesgen Zewde,
chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
Party (CUDP), concentrated on five socioeconomic
factors; unemployment, political instability and the
practice of democratic rights forming the core.
Government's move to stabilise inflation, the press
law and the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from
Somalia were also raised.
"The speech of the President should not prohibit the
legislative body from covering other issues,"
Endalkachew Mola, MP from CUDP, told Fortune,
explaining one of the motives for his party's
motion.
Most of the views in the motion proposed by the CUDP
parliamentarian, are shared by Gebru Gebremariam, MP
and from UEDF, comparing them with the 11-point
amendment motion he raised on behalf of his party.
Gebru's proposal went into great specificity and
highlighted concerns over graft.
"The President addressed a working guideline to the
Parliament," said Ayele Seyoum, MP of UEDF. "It is
not compatible with the current situation of the
country."
The single-point motion of Bulcha Demeksa, chairman
of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM),
complained about the arbitrary detention of members
of the Oromo ethnic community from the streets and
markets as well as the various public places all
over the country. He later expressed his hope for
the immediate improvement of the situation.
Though the three major parties in Parliament kept
busy choosing a Presidential alternative and filing
amendment motions in their respective parties'
positions, other members of Parliament in the
opposition camp like Lidetu Ayalew, MP from the
United Ethiopian Democratic Party (UEDP-Medhin),
were rather passive during the session. Abdurhaman
Ahmedin whip of UEDP-Medhin, however, argued that
the party did not bring its position due to lack of
time to express its idea for the re-election as well
as to file a motion.
"The previous procedure where the House Speaker and
his deputy used to allot time for each party to set
a proposed agenda after a consultation with the
Business Advisory Committee of Parliament was
abandoned," Abdurhaman told Fortune. "Had we
been given time, we would have asked the President
of his capabilities to execute the country's
diplomatic agenda."
Eleven members of UEDP-Medhin, not including
Abdurhaman, abstained from the vote when President
Girma's nomination was approved by Parliament.
"I did not raise my hand in favour or against his
re-election" he said. "Neither did I raise my hand
for abstinence."
Parliament is expected to deliberate on opposition
motions this Thursday.
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