Executive President
A weeks-long political dialogue in Ethiopia has backed constitutional changes to create a new presidential system that could extend Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's control over the country. Abiy, 50, has ruled the Horn of Africa country of 130 million since 2018. His party won another landslide victory at elections in June, albeit in the midst of a crackdown on the opposition and media.
More than a month of talks by 4'000 delegates ended on August 22 with overwhelming support for plans to combine the office of prime minister and the largely ceremonial presidency into a new "executive presidency". It could be put before parliament as soon as it reconvenes in October. Most assume that Abiy will get the job, since this new president will be selected by a parliament packed with his supporters.
Erdogan parallel
Critics fear the changes will allow Abiy to consolidate personal power, as Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan did when he jumped from prime minister to a newly created executive presidency in 2014. "It would only allow the current prime minister to assume the executive presidency while effectively concentrating power in a single individual," said political analyst Befekadu Hailu.
Ethiopia faces deep ethnic divides, with armed conflicts ongoing in its two most populous states, Oromia and Amhara, and fears that the 2020-2022 civil war in Tigray, which killed an estimated 600'000 people, may reignite at any moment. Critics say the dialogue, which excluded armed groups and was boycotted by key opposition parties, did little to address these challenges.
"It cannot ensure the two greatest needs of the country: durable peace and stability, and democratic governance," said Merera Gudina, chairman of the Caucus of Opposition Parties, which stayed away from the dialogue. The recommendations "should be complemented by peace negotiations between the government and the armed groups and opposition political parties to silence the guns," added peace-building expert Naga Tesfaye.