Sweden Extends Hand for Democratisation

The Swedish government has increased direct development support to Ethiopia by pledging 20 million dollars in assistance for the democratisation process.

The funds will be transferred in the next two years and will be used in the areas of election support, legal reform and capacity building of human rights organisations, such as the Ombudsman and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

The financing agreement was signed by Torbjorn Pettersson, Swedish Ambassador to Ethiopian, and Admasu Nebebe, state minister for Finance, on April 4, 2019, at the premises of the Ministry of Finance located on George VI Street in Sidist Kilo.

"The development of Ethiopia over the past year has been very positive although the challenges remain substantial," said Torbjorn. "The amendment of the civil society law is the major sign where the country is heading."

Sweden's support for Ethiopia had declined after the 2005 election until it was revived in 2016. This year's support has been the largest.

Since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) came to power last April, the country has been undergoing reforms. The Prime Minister formed advisory councils to amend laws on civil society, the media and fighting terrorism that were blamed for constraining the political space and being regressive.

Prime Minister Abiy has also appointed Birtukan Mideksa, a former judge and leading opposition figure who was exiled by the government, to chair the National Electoral Board. Last month Birtukan assembled more than 100 political parties to sign a code of conduct that sets rules and guidelines for their operation, political activities and to govern the relationship they have between each other.

Appreciating the support, Soliana Shemelis, public relations adviser of the Electrical Board, confirmed to Fortune that her office was not aware of Sweden's support.

The same week the grant was extended, parliament legislated a bill drafted to re-establish the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia. The proclamation restructures the composition of the board members and their service year. It also made the board members full-time employees.

The Swedish support was made not only for the government but also for civil society organisations that work on democracy, according to the ambassador. However, the amount to be allocated for charity organisations has not been decided yet, according to him.