Saturday, May 23, 2015

For most Ethiopians, these elections are a non-event

Ethiopia’s election is a wake-up call on human rights and sound governance

Daniel Calingaert and Kellen McClure | The Guardian
The Ethiopia that I observed from a distance
The international community must challenge Ethiopia’s oppressive regime by funding local human rights and democracy groups

On Sunday, millions of Ethiopians will line up at polling stations to participate in Africa’s largest exercise of political theatre. A decade-long campaign by Ethiopia’s government to silence dissent forcibly has left the country without a viable political opposition, without independent media, and without public challenges to the ruling party’s ideology.