FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
Tagesso Chafo (right), the speaker of the House, playfully tugs Demeke Mekonnen, deputy prime minister, after welcoming him at the entrance to the main hall of parliament.

Tagesso Chafo (right), the speaker of the House, playfully tugs Demeke Mekonnen, deputy prime minister, after welcoming him at the entrance to the main hall of parliament. The duo, a few minutes later, welcomed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) as he made his way where he appeared before MPs to take questions on the current political and economic affairs of the country.


The atmosphere in parliament was anything but playful. MPs pulled no punches. They did not praise or brandish the achievements of the executive as much as parliamentarians were wont to do in the past.


No MP directly brought up the poor state of macroeconomic conditions that had seen the cost of living increase and foreign direct investment declined. The focus was instead on the breakdown of the rule of law and the government’s inability to arrest conflicts and unrest despite the loss of life and destruction of property.


The Prime Minister was more sober and restrained than most of his other appearances in parliament. He argued that Ethiopia is no longer sinking into the sea and that there were successes such as Ethio telecom servicing 14.8 billion Br in debt.

Notably, he was far from referring to the deteriorating security crisis of the country as mere growing pains of political reform. He admitted that the resistance put up by “forces” has been underestimated but that his administration has resigned itself to a “life and death” fight in its attempt to save the Ethiopian state.


PUBLISHED ON Feb 08,2020 [ VOL 20 , NO 1032]

[ratemypost]


Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Global Trade Is Winning Trump's War On It

Nearly six months after US President Donald Trump announced his ultra-high "reciproca...

Scaling Back Anti-Poverty Programmes a Colossal Policy Mistake

Faced with a slowing global economy and rising debts, many developing-country governm...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

In Climate Talks, Africa Mortgages Tomorrow Simply to Survive Today

Sep 13 , 2025

At its launch in Nairobi two years ago, the Africa Climate Summit was billed as the f...

Ethiopians Celebrate Big Dreams, While Everyday Realities Cast Shadow

Sep 6 , 2025

The dawn of a new year is more than a simple turning of the calendar. It is a moment...

Will Community Health Insurance Falter Under Its Ambitious Weight?

Aug 30 , 2025

For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...

The Capital Market May Be Too Shallow to Swim In. Beware.

Aug 23 , 2025

Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

The Horizon Ahead

Every Meskerem, as the Ethiopian New Year arrives, the script seems eerily familiar. We rewind the reel of the past twelve months, tot up th...

Beacon of Hope in the Heart of Singapore

When friends of my husband, Mike, and I left for what should have been a routine work trip to Malaysia, n...

Life Matters

Once a Song, Now a Powerhouse, The GERD Arrives

For generations, the dream of harnessing the Abay River has echoed across Ethiopia. It has been spoken of...

A Dose Too Fast

Stories of medical malpractice are unsettling, but they become harrowing when lived personally. What began for me as a trivial blister soon...