June 10, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Freedom House
1850 M St. NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036
Click Here to Register Now
On May 24, Ethiopians went to the polls to elect representatives for federal and regional legislatures in an election whose outcome was never in question. While final result of the elections are still pending, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced that preliminary numbers show the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its regional affiliates winning every single seat counted so far. Whatever number of seats the opposition might get, the EPRDF is poised to remain the country’s sole dominant political force for at least the next five years.
As the world waits for final results, Freedom House is holding a panel discussion on what these elections mean for politics in Ethiopia. The panelists will explore the future of multiparty democracy and inclusive politics under EPRDF’s rule, Ethiopia’s continued downward democratic trajectory, and the country’s role as a key development and security partner of the West in the Horn of Africa. This event will also address the fate of the country’s continued stability in the face of growing frustration among different ethnic and religious communities as well as the demographic pressure that the much touted economic growth is supposedly addressing. Finally, the panel will point to opportunities for future engagement with the government of Ethiopia, civil society, the media and other stakeholders with the aim of expanding the political space and strengthening viable democratic institutions.
Speakers:
Terrence Lyons
Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution
George Mason University
Vukasin Petrovic
Director for Africa
Freedom House
Steven Feldstein
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Moderator:
Robert Herman
Vice President
Freedom House
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