Fortune News | May 08,2021
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) turns to Tagesse Chafo, speaker of Parliament, during a break at a session where he addressed MPs for the last time for the sixth year in session. The next time parliament convenes, it will be based on the outcome of the sixth national elections, held in mid-June. On Saturday, June 11, the results were announced where the incumbent Prosperity Parity (PP) enjoyed a resounding electoral victory. The opposition suffered a near-complete rejection by voters after the incumbent bagged 410 of the 436 seats where elections results were counted, according to electoral officials. Prosperity Party has won by a 94pc landslide.
The disparity with the opposition is evident. The National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) won five parliamentary seats, followed by Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice's (EZEMA) four.
There was little doubt about the outcome. Provisional results were posted outside polling stations, and the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) certified some of these over the subsequent days. Prime Minister Abiy somewhat reflected this when he responded to members of parliament last Monday, where he pledged to bring onboard contenders, who were not voted into executive positions.
But there were many more issues on the agenda outside the elections that day, including the unilateral "humanitarian ceasefire" in the war-torn Tigray Regional State. The Prime Minister reiterated that the pulling out of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces was for a “moment of reflection” during the ceasefire but placed blame on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a cause for the war.
It was a testament to how turbulent the year had been. MPs raised issues including government response to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, locust invasions, and political violence in several places around the country. None of these has helped the government curb inflation, which hit 24.5pc for the last month, according to the Central Statistics Agency, or the country's foreign currency reserve position, which continues to be a drag on investments and businesses.
There were some exceptions, nonetheless. The mining industry brought in a conspicuous 681 million dollars, pulled up by significant boosts in the export of gold, which received a measly 28 million dollars two years ago. Mining helped goods export rise to 3.5 billion dollars for the first time in the country’s history. No less significant was the award of the first private telecom license to the Safaricom-led consortium, Global Partnership for Ethiopia, for 850 million dollars, with a deal to invest 10 times that over the coming decade.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 11,2021 [ VOL
22 , NO
1106]
Fortune News | May 08,2021
News Analysis | Sep 10,2021
Radar | Mar 19,2022
Fortune News | Jul 11,2021
Radar | Dec 19,2021
Fortune News | May 21,2022
Films Review | Nov 16,2019
News Analysis | Aug 07,2021
Agenda | Jun 05,2021
Radar | Jul 11,2021
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Jan 21 , 2023
Eyob Tekalign, state minister for Finance, took to social media platforms last week t...
Jan 14 , 2023
The longing for normalcy and a semblance of individual and collective security in Eth...
Jan 7 , 2023
The hallmark of Ethiopia's contemporary leaders could be a fascination with grandeur...
Dec 31 , 2022
A change of guards in 2018 gave Ethiopians hope for better circumstances from the pre...
Loading your updates...