
News Analysis | Jun 08,2024
Two former judges, Birtukan Mideksa (left), a prominent activist and politician, and Meaza Ashenafi, president of the Supreme Court, stood before parliament last Thursday, November 22, 2018. Birtukan was nominated by the Prime Minister to chair the Electoral Board before being approved by MPs and then sworn in by Chief Justice Meaza.
The parliament did not approve her appointment unanimously. Out of 330 MPs, three abstained and four voted against her.
Once the parliamentary session ended, the two posed for pictures, and Birtukan answered questions from the gathered media.
“Every election held has inspired doubts in the public’s heart instead of trust,” she said, adding that the Electoral Board will henceforth work to regain the public’s confidence and will oversee elections that all participant parties can trust.
The symbolism of appointing a former member of the opposition Unity for Democracy & Justice (UDJ), jailed following the contested general election of 2005 and sentenced to life in prison before being granted a pardon, has not escaped notice. Both domestic and international observers praised her election as a step forward in the democratisation of Ethiopia.
Not everyone has been enthusiastic, however. It has been pointed out that her appointment to head the Electoral Board should have been done in consultation with opposition parties. Also, there are complaints that her ascendancy to head the Board comes at a time when a working group is still drawing up recommendations to amend the electoral law and the organisation of the Board.
The working group is part of a 13-member Advisory Council for Legal & Justice Affairs, which includes Chief Justice Meaza. The Council was set up under the Attorney General’s Office to recommend amendments to media, anti-terrorism and charity law, as well as to restructure democratic institutions such as the Electoral Board.
PUBLISHED ON
Nov 27,2018 [ VOL
19 , NO
970]
News Analysis | Jun 08,2024
Viewpoints | Jan 23,2021
My Opinion | Apr 10,2021
Fortune News | Oct 28,2023
Viewpoints | Feb 09,2019
View From Arada | Aug 16,2025
Fortune News | Jun 10,2023
Commentaries | Jun 28,2025
My Opinion | Jul 13,2020
Commentaries | Sep 06,2025
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
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...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Sep 6 , 2025
The dawn of a new year is more than a simple turning of the calendar. It is a moment...
Aug 30 , 2025
For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...
Aug 23 , 2025
Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...
Aug 16 , 2025
A decade ago, a case in the United States (US) jolted Wall Street. An ambulance opera...