Referendum Tests Ethiopia’s Ability for Peaceful Elections
Referendum Tests Ethiopia’s Ability to Hold Peaceful Elections
Ethiopia’s ethnic Sidama voted Wednesday in a referendum on creating a new regional state, the likely precursor to a series of plebiscites that will test demands for more autonomy.
Besides offering an indication of the Horn of Africa nation’s ability to hold a peaceful general election slated for next year, it will also gauge whether the country’s political model of ethnic federalism can accommodate growing calls for self-determination amid clashes between groups.
The referendum, initially scheduled for July, sparked violence in which about 170 people died, Amnesty International said, citing figures provided by unidentified Sidama activist groups.
“The Ethiopian authorities must take all appropriate measures to ensure a peaceful vote,” Amnesty said in a statement. “The referendum comes at an especially tense time when violence based on ethnic differences is breaking out all over the country and people are being killed simply for expressing their opinions.”
Police Presence
There was a heavy police and military presence in the southern region where the vote took place and there were no immediate reports of violence or serious disruptions. Schools and businesses were ordered to shut on Wednesday and Thursday and public rallies were banned.
Final results are expect to be released on Nov. 22, according to the national electoral commission.
In all, a dozen referendums may be needed to gauge the validity of claims to statehood across 22 zones in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region areas, said Kairedin Tezera, lead researcher for a confidential 320-page study into the issue, which was commissioned by the ruling party.
Members of the region’s 56 ethnic groups “want to test how the Sidama referendum will work and they know how to gamble in the uncertain political situation,” he said in an interview before the plebiscite. “They’re waiting to be power brokers or king makers within the bloc.”
--With assistance from Mike Cohen.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nizar Manek in Nairobi at nmanek2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Hilton Shone, John Viljoen
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.