Ethiopians go to polls amid alleged atrocities in Tigray

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Voting has kicked off in various parts of Ethiopia in the first parliamentary elections after Abiy Ahmed took over as Prime Minister, even as the country continues to battle with a myriad of challenges, including but not limited to the Tigray conflict.

The National Elections Board of Ethiopia [NEBE] had postponed the elections in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the move was vehemently opposed by Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF], which had rescinded its support for PM Abiy Ahmed, who comes from Oromo.

Nearly 40 million people have registered to vote in the parliamentary elections but polling in many constituencies have been delayed until September due to logistics and security according to reports. The most affected are the Tigray region where Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] have been carrying out an operation.

In a tweet, Abiy Ahmed said: "Extensive work has been done to mobilize the security sector at the national level and to respond effectively to identified and emerging threats with the help of technology."

"I encourage all citizens to be vigilant when they go to the polls tomorrow. I'd also like to assure you that the government is well prepared for a peaceful and democratic election," added the PM, whose human rights record has been questioned in recent weeks.

It is the first electoral test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 44, who rose to power in 2018 championing a democratic revival in Africa's second-most populous country, and a break from its authoritarian past.

"This election is different," said Milton Gebregziabher, a 45-year-old travel agent voting in the center of the capital Addis Ababa. "There are a number of parties to choose from. In the past there was just one, we did not have the luxury of choice."

Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate who freed political prisoners, welcomed back exiles and ended a long cold war with neighbouring Eritrea before sending troops to confront the dissident leadership of Tigray late last year, has promised this election will be Ethiopia's most competitive in history, free of the repression that marred previous ballots.

But the spectre of famine caused by the ongoing fighting in Tigray, and the failure to stage elections on schedule in around one-fifth of constituencies, means that promise is in doubt.

Electoral officials in purple vests sprayed voters' hands with sanitiser before checking their IDs against the register.

"I believe this election will shine a light of democracy on Ethiopia," said Yordanos Berhanu, a 26-year-old accountant at the head of a queue of hundreds.

"As a young Ethiopian, I (have) hope for the future of my country, and believe voting is part of that," she said before slipping her ballot papers into a purple plastic box for the national vote and a light green one for the regional election.

In Bahir Dar, the capital of the northwestern Amhara region which neighbors Tigray, voters said peace and economic growth were the priorities.

"No matter who wins, we want peace," said 25-year-old jobseeker Mirkuz Gashaw, in an interview with Yahoo news.

"As a citizen, I hope our country prospers and grows," said first-time voter Etsubdink Sisay, 18, who lined up with her mother.

Once votes are counted, national MPs will elect the prime minister, who is head of government, as well as the president -- a largely ceremonial role. Abiy's ruling Prosperity Party has fielded the most candidates for national parliamentary races and is the firm favorite to win a majority and form the next government.

But the elections are being held when Addis Ababa is being accused of frustrating humanitarian efforts in the Tigray region, where the ENDF and Eritrea troops are said to have massacred thousands of innocent civilians from November 2020.

Although he has often defended himself, Abiy Ahmed's regime has been marred with allegations key among them ethnic cleansing in Tigray, tribal clashes in Oromia and Amhara, along with abductions and arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition leaders without trial.

GAROWE ONLINE