Ethiopians queue all night to cast ballots in first 'free' election
22 June, 2021
Elections described by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as the country’s “first attempt at a free of charge and fair election” occurred on Monday.
Voting was delayed in some areas and cancelled in the Tigray region.
Polls opened at 6am under tight security and Mr Abiy’s office said “physical force deployments” have been sent to areas across the country. Voters queued all night outside polling stations.
Ashenafi Teklu waited for a lot more than four hours in the first morning to cast his vote in the administrative centre in Addis Ababa.
The entrepreneur wished to cast his vote to pass judgment on the prime minister, a Nobel laureate, with the united states still facing conflict, high unemployment, Covid-19 and concerns foreign investors are being scared off.
“I opened my shop late to make sure my voice is roofed in this election,” he told The National.
“I hope this can help determine the sort of future I want for myself, my children and Ethiopia.”
Last November, at the start of the conflict in Tigray, Asian textile manufacturers who were concentrated in Ethiopia’s once booming industrial parks removed foreign staff and closed most of their local operations.
The move put into Ethiopia’s unemployment burden.
A whole lot worse, Tigray is on the brink of famine, with more than 90 per cent of its population experiencing food shortages therefore of the conflict.
Thousands of individuals have fled across the border to Sudan to flee the fighting.
No votes were cast in the northern region, undermining claims of a boost for democracy in Ethiopia.
Monday’s vote was delayed twice by the federal government over concerns about the spread of Covid-19 and security.
This month, Ethiopia’s electoral board made a decision to proceed with a partial election over the nation, but delayed polls in both Somali and Harari regions.
Voters in a lot more than 100 of Ethiopia’s 547 constituencies weren't have the ability to cast their ballots on Monday.
The opposition has largely made a decision to boycott the election because almost all of its leadership stay in jail, including Jawar Mohammed, a political activist who helped to organise a number of high-profile protests in 2016.
The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party said it lodged 207 complaints over election procedure on Monday because they had been prevented from entering many polling stations in the Amhara region and in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region.
Almaz Tadesse, 64, waited all night to cast her vote, but said it had been worth waiting.
“Life in Ethiopia is becoming unbearable, with a higher cost of living, fast rising costs on commodities," she said.
"But what is on the line is our nation and its own future as it is on the brink of a disaster and the only person who can save it from the old era of [the Tigray People’s Liberation Front] is Abiy Ahmed."
She said Mr Abiy helped to get rid of the group's dominance over Ethiopian politics.
The last time she voted was in 2005, whenever a national election was disrupted following the TPLF-led government of Meles Zenawi claimed victory, creating a long-standing opposition that ultimately made method for Mr Abiy.
Sissy Selassie-Mariam, 31, queued in the early hours of Monday to cast his vote in the Bole area of Addis Ababa.
“I did not think I would see an election in my lifetime and while I see shortcomings, it is the beginning and we should not be expectant of perfection. I am just pleased to be counted and for my vote to be respected,” he said.
“I hope security will be restored and we are able to co-exist in harmony.”
Source: www.thenationalnews.com