• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Democracy Chronicles

Towards better democracy everywhere.

  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy
You are here: Home / Democracy News Headlines / International Democracy / Ethiopia’s Elections May Exacerbate Mistrust And Division

Ethiopia’s Elections May Exacerbate Mistrust And Division

June 15, 2021 by DC Editors Leave a Comment

FacebookLinkedInPinTweet

Ethiopia’s Elections May Exacerbate Mistrust And DivisionEthiopia’s Abiy Ahmed’s rise to the Prime Ministry was well-received in many quarters. He even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 but soon went to war with factions in the Tigray Region. Over time, Abiy’s approval ratings have fallen and expert opinion argues that June’s elections may deepen mistrust for his government instead of providing legitimacy. This article by Adem K Abebe is published by IPS. Here is an excerpt:

Ethiopia is set to hold general elections on 21 June 2021 amid a devastating war in Tigray region and continuing security challenges across the country. But this was not how things were supposed to pan out.

After the protest-induced reshuffle within the then ruling coalition – the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) – Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in April 2018. Abiy’s unifying message found an echo across linguistic and political divides and confidence building measures generated unprecedented euphoria towards a transition to peace and democracy. Back then, many hoped this period would be topped off by credible elections in August 2020, postponed to June 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In hindsight, the euphoria appears unrealistic. Transitions from authoritarianism are moments of weakness, vulnerable to potential breakdown of order and even civil war, particularly in countries divided along identities. The pendulum swung back to an enduring political culture of mistrust, labelling, absolute dominance, and elimination. And mistrust is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Read the full article here.

FacebookLinkedInPinTweet

Filed Under: International Democracy Tagged With: Africa, Ethiopia

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

About DC Editors

We are your source for news on the all important effort to establish and strengthen democracy across the globe. Our international team with dozens of independent authors are your gateway into the raging struggle for free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States. See our Facebook Page and also follow us on Twitter @demchron.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

democracy chronicles newsletter

american democracy around the web

  • CPJ, partners call on British PM to push for...
    Source: Committee to Protect Journalists Published on: 2 hours ago
  • “As Trump Prosecutions Move Forward, Threats...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 2 hours ago
  • “Misinformation research is buckling under GO...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 7 hours ago
  • “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Flirts With the Libert...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 7 hours ago
  • “In North Carolina, Republicans Seek More Con...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 7 hours ago