Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has approved the merger of three of its four ethnic-based parties into a single national party (the Prosperity Party) ahead of the 2020 elections.
A Brief History of the Coalition
The EPRDF was formed by the union of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) and the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM).
These four unequal parties were brought together to represent a dominant ethnic group. They were unequal because the three latter parties are offsprings of the TPLF who are the most dominant and have ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades with an iron fist.
Enter, President Abbey Ahmed
In an effort to foster peace and unity in Ethiopia after becoming the Party’s leader in April 2018, President Abbey Ahmed decided it was time to deconstruct the ethnic coalition and form a pan-Ethiopian party. Hence, the merger vote in which three of the four ethnic parties within the coalition, OPDO, ANDM and SEPDM voted favourably.
Why the Prosperity Party Could Be a Mistake
Ethnic identity remains a strong force in Ethiopian politics due to the inequality vs dominance that exists among the ethnic groups. Also, President Abbey formed a unity party at a time where ethnic groups are agitating for federal independence.
Analysing the situation, Awol K Allo, a lecturer in Law at Keele University explains that as much as the people may want to belong to the larger Ethiopian polity, they would want to preserve their unique identity and character. “For them, the PP threatens to undermine the achievements of the last three decades in terms of cultural and political autonomy and lays the structural foundation for a unitary state that will rob them of their dignity and autonomy.”
Also, President Abbey’s decision remains opposed by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and some leaders of the Oromo Democratic Party Organization (ODPO). Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the TPLF, said this during a press briefing: “This move weakens the federal system and takes away the rights of people to self-administration. The drive to form a united party does not consider the existing situations in the country.”
President Abbey, who recently received a Nobel Peace Prize, has set the peace and unity of Ethiopia at the heart of his reforms.
