Politicians and activists are reacting to Abiy Ahmed’s appointment of chairman of Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, that would pave the way for him to become the new prime minister.
Girma Seifu Maru, former sole opposition politician in a 547-seat parliament, said: “It is difficult to congratulate Abiy Ahmed on his election until we know under what conditions he was given the responsibility.
“I believe Abiy would learn from the failures of his predecessor Hailemariam since wise men learn from others. All the same, it is quite something to reach the highest post of the country. The fact that he takes up the helm at this turbulent time could give him the chance to make history in the country. But that history should not be devising plans to stay in power for the next twenty years like Meles Zenawi did but to make this country of youth belong to young people, to open up a political space free from repression.
“If Abiy seizes the missed opportunities by the TPLF regime, he would take a special place in history. And he has to build a base to transform that into a reality. Since fighting extremists would be his challenging task, others should give him space. We should be in his side in supporting his daily bold move. Abiy has two very important tasks ahead of him. The first one is to make EPRDF relevant to the time, the second one to create other better alternatives. He needs to show that he does not tolerate those who stand on the way. I express all my best wishes for him.”
Abraha Desta of Arena Tigray said the ruling party officials are “entitled to choose whomever and whenever it suits them. And they did, which has nothing to do with our demand for change of system. Such change of guards within the party is meaningless. But what are we seeing today is spilt within the party to the extent that they are unable to agree on anything, including on thier own leader. We understand that TPLF has to bear with a leader that they don’t want and it has a feeling of being defeated. Thus if the new Prime Minister has determination and willingness, he could open up the relevant political space.”
Asnake Kefale of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the Addis Ababa University told VOA Amharic that “when Hailemariam took office, there was not a crisis of such level. The economic growth was continuing. There were not as such pressing problems. He filled the gap left by Meles’s death. However, it is all different for Abiy Ahmed. He has many challenges and tests ahead of him. He has to achieve the unity of the party and command. His priority should be to widen the political space for democratic and participatory decision-making in national political processes and to start negotiations with opposition groups at home and abroad.”
Some are uncertain about what the future holds and prefer to sound cautious, questioning on the new Prime Minister’s ability to bring real change and his power to exercise authority in the face of the Tigrayan military establishment that still holds most of the country’s power.
Tsegaye Ararssa, an Australian-based activist and one of the more prominent intellectual faces of the Oromo Protest, said that “Our peoples need to remember that, while this is not what they fought hard for, this too is the result of their struggle. They should relish in the fact that their sacrifice made it possible for Team Lemma to emerge and for Abiy to get to the chairmanship. However, they should always remember that they did not resist TPLF only to put another weakling in power in their place so that he could act as (another) TPLF ‘with a humanitarian face’.
“As a people who honor their martyrs and cherish their victory, they need to remain watchful to prevent EPRDF from (re)producing more of the same,”
Others praised the current President of the Oromia Regional State and deputy leader of the OPDO, Lemma Megersa, believed to have played a principal role in Abiy’s meteoric rise. Ever since Lemma appointed Abiy as deputy president of the region on March 2017, the two worked closely in schemes to initiate a program of radical economic and social reform through to reduce youth unemployment in the Oromia region. Lemma also gave up his presidential position of the region to Abiy to facilitate his ascension to PM position, as he himself was not a member of the federal parliament, the House of People’s Representatives, a requirement to become prime minister.
An activist close to OPDO, Dereje Gerefa Tullu waxed eloquent in his praise of Lemma. “His name would be written in a bold and glorious chapter in the history of Ethiopian politics. A patriot who emerged at a time when the country is going through deep political crisis. He deserves honour for all what he did and his name would always stand out.”
(Photo of Abiy Ahmed, The Reporter.)