Ethiopia PM mobilises Oromo parties to cooperate in 2020 vote

Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday urged political parties in his home region to work together to serve the Oromo people.

Abiy, who was representing his Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) at a meeting of political parties from the region, added that the ‘time when political parties work against each other should come to an end’.

Oromia, the largest and most populous regional state, has been the scene of incidents that have led to deaths, of security officials and civilians, as well as massive displacements.

Abiy, the first Oromo PM in recent years, has pledged to deliver a credible vote in 2020, and over the last years, his party has made alliances with other parties that led anti-government protests three years ago.

Tuesday’s resolutions were signed by Abiy, the Oromo Federalist Congress led by Prof Merea Gudina, and Oromo Liberation Front led by Dauwd Ibsa. All leaders pledged to work towards complementing each other’s efforts.

The opposition is also preparing to contest the 2020 elections, and has had some mergers, in addition to calling for meaningful electoral reforms.