![](https://addisfortune.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Cotton-Farm-in-Awash-Valley.jpg)
Featured | Oct 11,2020
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]
Fortune News | Jul 03,2024
My Opinion | Apr 10,2021
My Opinion | Jul 13,2020
News Analysis | Jun 08,2024
Viewpoints | Jan 23,2021
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transportin...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
The cracks in Ethiopia's higher education system were laid bare during a synthesis re...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Construction authorities have unveiled a price adjustment implementation manual for s...
Jul 13 , 2024
The banking industry is experiencing a transformative period under the oversight of N...
Jul 20 , 2024
In a volatile economic environment, sudden policy reversals leave businesses reeling...
Jul 13 , 2024
Policymakers are walking a tightrope, struggling to generate growth and create millio...
Jul 7 , 2024
The federal budget has crossed a symbolic threshold, approaching the one trillion Bir...
Jun 29 , 2024
In a spirited bid for autonomy, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), under its younge...