Ethiopia's 2026 Elections - Without Reforms, the Vote May Not Be Free or Fair

Ethiopia's 2026 Elections - Without Reforms, the Vote May Not Be Free or Fair

Analysis - Ethiopia is due to hold elections in 2026. But will they be free and fair?

Ethiopia’s 2026 elections: without reforms, the vote may not be free or fair

Ethiopia is due to hold elections in 2026. But will they be free and fair? Since 1995, Ethiopia has held elections every five years, except for the 2021 election, delayed by COVID-19. The incumbent party has consistently secured over 95% of national parliament seats, except for 2005, when the opposition won about 32%. In 2021, the ruling Prosperity Party won 96.8% of the seats. I specialise in Ethiopian politics and federalism, and recently publ…

Ethiopia at the Brink: From Elite Paralysis to Possibility – Part One

Sirak Zena April x, 2025 Abstract: This two-part analysis critically examines the role of Ethiopia’s political elites, mainly those in the diaspora, in the context of the nation’s deepening crisis. Part One dissects the historical roots and theoretical underpinnings of elite behavior in Ethiopia’s divided society, highlighting how ethnic federalism, political fragmentation, and the disengagement of veteran intellectuals have contributed to the c…

Liberal Optics, Illiberal Policies - Wazemaradio

(By a Contributor) The impression of anyone reading the headlines would be that Ethiopia is liberalizing. Talks about securities exchange, financial sector opening-up, retail sector liberalization and market-based exchange rate dominate the air. While it is true that Ethiopia, an economy often touted as the last frontier of liberalization in Africa, is undergoing change, it