Party politics, political polarization and the future of ethiopian. January 282018 today hundreds of thousands of people from ambo, a city 125 km west of addis abeba, and its environs came to welcome veteran opposition party leader dr. Pdf the elite and the quest for peace, democracy and. Memories and experiences of past evictions and dispossessions like other nations and nationalities in the country particularly those who faced the brutal conquest under emperor menelik ii during the late 19 th century, the oromo people have lived memories and experiences of development induced. Jun 21, 2017 ethiopia counters merera gudinas request for separate terrorism cases june 21, 2017 federal prosecutors in ethiopia maintained their argument tuesday that their terrorism case against merera gudina, head of the oromo federalist congress ofc, need not be separated from a file that includes charges against other defendants that his defense. Mohamed olad is a somali commentator and writer whose works have appeared on different media publications. Ethiopia security detain prominent opposition party. Merera gudina is a professor and politician in ethiopia. A court in ethiopia has adjourned the case of dr merera gudina on 23 february, allowing the police to investigate him for another 28 days. Woubshet taye, journalist and editor imprisoned since 2011 and. During his hearing, he recommended judges three readings and called on judges to remember history when passing their verdict.
Elections and democratization in ethiopia, 19912010. The african studies centre leiden is concerned about merera, who is a political scientist and chairman of the oromo federalist congress in ethiopia, a legal opposition party. He obtained his ba degree from addis ababa university in 1986. Merera gudina is a professor and a politician in ethiopia. Merera gudina has been involved in ethiopian politics for nearly fifty years now. Merera gudina and all political prisoners in ethiopia by madda walaabuu press january 01, 2017 currently, the tplf led regime in ethiopia is undertaking a mass arrest of oromos under their draconian law of state of emergency. This is clear in his notsosubtle stab at merera gudina, the founder and president of the oromo peoples congress opc and one of the prominent oromo political leaders championing ethiopian nationalism.
Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia. May 18, 2010 merera gudina started opposing governments as a high school student in ambo in the vast oromiya region of ethiopia. Ethiopia has freed an opposition leader as part of an amnesty of prisoners jailed over antigovernment protests in 2015. Ebola virus main symptoms, signs and what you can do to protect yourself read about it. Jun, 2019 this even goes down to the education system. Party politics, political polarization and the future of. Ethiopia frees opposition leader merera gudina ethiopia. The case for stable ethiopia mohamed olad 082516 the recent demonstrations across the country especially in oromia and most recently in the amhara region are deeply disturbing and unnerving. The move on wednesday came two weeks after prime minister desalegn. Ethiopia releases opposition leader merera gudina from prison. One hundred ways of putting pressure 2 steps, while important, have not ensured that ethiopias citizens are able to enjoy their fundamental rights. Getachew assefa, the former director of the national intelligence and security services, whose future seemed precarious for some time, has managed to retain his position as member of the political bureau of the tigray peoples liberation front tplf, the eprdfs executive. Dr merera gudina, dr brehanu nega and jawar mohammed.
Chairman of oromo peoples congress merera gudina explains how more or less all. The former opposition mp 200510, merera gudina, now at the head of the oromo federalist congress ofc and a member 07022014. Thank you for your reply of 29 november 2016 to my letter concerning the state of emergency decreed by the ethiopia and the human rights situation in the country. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in more than 50 towns across oromia early saturday morning in what has been. This is a move that will exacerbate, rather than ease, the underlying tensions currently simmering in the country. Mar 10, 2017 mahlet fasil addis abeba, march 102017 the federal high court 19th criminal bench has today denied bail to dr. Introduction ethiopia entered the era of party politics only at the eve of the revolutionary upheaval of 1974 that ended the countrys. A member of the european parliament, ana gomes, has reacted to the the move by the ethiopian government to drop charges against leading oromo politician, merera gudina. Layout and work center design of a new department, stephanie haga, mohammed hassan, john roberts, and marcus yong.
Merera gudina was due to appear at the federal high court arada branch today, but a notice put in the court premise says all court hearings between february 21 and 24 will not take place due. Merera gudina, chairman of the oromo federalist congress ofc, upon his arrival at addis ababa bole international airport after returning from brussels, where. Asnake kefale, yacob asano, aklilu abraham and merera gudina, who all took the time to. Merera gudina today in the german embassy addis ababa. Office location address college of social sciences. The arrest of merera gudina is an outrageous assault on the right to freedom of expression and should sound alarm bells for anyone with an interest in ending the deadly protests that have rocked ethiopia over the past year. According to gomes, who frequently comments on political ongoings in ethiopia, gudina should never have been jailed. Merera gudina book pdf 17 jan jailed ethiopian opposition leader merera gudina has been freed after more than a year in detention. Africanews dr merera gudina, leading opposition figure in ethiopia and chairman of the oromo federalist congress ofc, has finally been charged with terrorism by ethiopian prosecutors. To permanent representatives of members and observer.
Kaliti prison also spelt kality prison, kilinto prison or qilinto prison in addis ababa is one of the several federal prisons of ethiopia. Competing ethnic nationalism and the quest for democracy, 19602000. Motion for a resolution on ethiopia, the case of dr. He was a former academic staff and faculty fellow at jigjiga university.
He was part of the student movement who helped overthrow the imperial government of emperor haile selassie. This study explores and assesses the democratization and decentralization experiment in ethiopia. Today hundreds of thousands of people from ambo, a city 125 km west of addis abeba, and its environs came to welcome veteran opposition party leader dr. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in. The negative interpretation the writer of this article has given to the saying shows that the man sees only negatives in others minds. Merera gudina m, berhanu nega l, and feyisa lilesa r source. Merera gudina of oromo federalist congress ofc, dawud ibssa of. Merera gudina explaining about workneh gebeyehu youtube. Recently they jailed the last voice of the oromo in ethiopia, dr merera gudina, leading to the.
Pdf ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia and its impact. On 2008 election, medrek won a single seat in the house of peoples representatives, representing an electoral district in addis ababa. This is further affirmed in his public support to bekele gerba, the uncoronated and unanointed caesar of finfine politics. Law, and the antiterrorism proclamationwere being revised at time of writing. They are icons of the nation and honest comrades for real future change. Merera gudina welcomes national dialogue but says the.
Staff writer, ethiomedia november 10, 2009 seattle fellow ethiopians were ethusiastic to meet professor merera gudina, chairman of the powerful eightparty coalition forum, when he suddenly popped up in the northwest american city known as home to microsoft, boeing, starbucks and of course. As far as collection of the revenues goes, the regional governments collect their own revenues whereas the federal fiscal federalism in ethiopia collects not only its own revenues but also the joint revenues, of course with a possibility of delegation whenever deemed necessary. Merera, chairman of the oromo federalist congress ofc was released from prison last week after spending more than a year a prison. He was welcomed home with much fanfare and celebrations in his hometown of burayu where hundreds of supporters and wellwishers were gathered.
Three countries where democracy actually staged a comeback in i think the mother of all the problems that the party is facing today emanates from the ideological foundation of the party. Pdf the 2015 elections in ethiopia had a predictable outcome. The elite and the quest for peace, democracy and development in ethiopian. Aug 03, 2016 a keynote address by merera gudina, chairman of the oromo federalist congress, at the 2016 oromo studies association osa annual conference.
After years of military repression, the fall of africas most brutal dictator. Though there are some legitimate grievances and need for reform to address the legitimate concerns for income. Esat news may 18, 2017 members of the european parliament called for the immediate release on bail and dropping of all charges against dr merera gudina, the chairman of the opposition oromo federalist congress party. Merera gudina was arrested after he appeared at the eu parliament to testify on current political crisis in ethiopia. Merera gudina, talks about his new book ethiopias chaotic political journey and my memoirs. Some writers estimated the number of oromo to be 60% of the ethiopian population. Merera is facing multiple criminal charges that include an attempt to violently overthrow the constitutional order. Merera gudina was released with more than 400 others in a move towards. It is 11 km south of central addis ababa, in akaky kaliti, the southernmost subcity of the nations capital. Introduction i am here today to talk more about ourselves than the regime in power about whom i have been talking for a quarter of a century. Details of what transpired at the airport are sketchy, but sources. Both had a fruitful discussion about current political developments in ethiopia.
The ethiopian quest for democracy in a dominant party state core. Merera gudina, chairman of the oromo federalist congress ofc, upon his arrival at bole international airport. Court rejected professor merera gudinas statement of defence. The ep president, martin schulz, in a letter to president. When we jump to the biography of the master and the pupil, the opening lines of hateta zara yaaqob began by introducing the writer s himself. Merera gudina was due to appear at the federal high court arada branch today, but a notice put in the court premise says all court hearings between. Its editor, amare aregawi, a former tplf cadre, has vocally criticised the.
To do this, strong good governance and democratic institutions are very important. Ethiopia frees opposition leader merera gudina daily nation. Prominent ethiopian opposition leader merera gudina has been released from prison after more than a year in detention. The organization is opposed to the ruling ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front. Gudina, merera, party politics, political polarization and the future of ethiopian. Dr merera gudina was arrested for breaching article two of the first directive of the state of emergency that prohibits any contact and. It is the belief of this writer that both geography and demography support the oromo movements to lead the struggle for democracy in the. Now he is an entrepreneur and member of the northern. Here, a point that should not be missed in any intellectual venture to understand ethnicity is the paradox that surrounds identity politics. To permanent representatives of members and observer states of the. This is a keynote address by merera gudina, chairman of the oromo federalist congress, at the 2016 oromo studies association osa annual conference. Opride after more than a year of unjust imprisonment, on wednesday, jan. Merera gudina, chairman of the opposition oromo federalist congress ofc. Ethiopian airlines suspends all flights to china in reaction to coronavirus outbreak.
Is merera thinking addis ababa is at the mercy of oromo. Ethiopia security forces have detained leading opposition figure merera gudina upon returning from a trip to europe, according to esat, which broke the story professor merera, chairman of the. Dec 03, 2016 a senior figure in ethiopias opposition, angered by the arrest of his party leader merera gudina for allegedly making contact with terrorist groups, said he was willing to commit a crime. By belayneh abate one of the talking points last week was merera gudina s unmarried life. He is the leader of the oromo peoples congress opc, a political party.
The ambassador expressed germanys relief about dr merera s release. Merera gudina in amssterdam public meeting with ethiopians 20 nov 2016, talking about workneh gebeyehu and the comand post. In 1996, after the ethiopian peoples revolutionary democratic front eprdf of prime minister meles zenawi had swept into power after overthrowing mr mengistu, merera gudina created the oromo national congress onc. Texts adopted ethiopia, notably the case of dr merera gudina. Ethiopia frees opposition leader merera gudina youtube. But i am the son of a poor farmer in the district of aksum. Despite its up and down paths, marriage is considered as one. Other writers of federal theory have a more moderate view upon the. Oct 21, 2018 in other words, can they overcome their historical, cultural, religious and material divisions.
Let us use this opportunity to learn about the relationship between marriage and other factors with the wellbeing or happiness of a nation. Haile fida kuma has made an outstanding contribution to the development of oromo national orthography. Merera gudina is the first of more than 500 prisoners the government has. Ethiopian forces from the command post of ethiopias sweeping state of emergency command post detained leading oromo ethnic group and government opposition figure prof. Opride a planned protest in ethiopias oromia state has turned deadly. With regard to this, merera gudina has made the following critical observation.
Merera gudina is the first of more than 500 prisoners the government has said it will release. He is the leader of the oromo peoples congress opc, a political party representing the oromo people. Merera gudina to address audience in washington, dc. Merera gudina of the oromo national congress onc and beyene petros of the. His party struggles for equality and fairness for all ethiopian. Celebrations as merera gudina among more than 400 others released from prison as part of a wider government amnesty. As a young man, he was a member of all ethiopian socialist movement meison in amharic and was imprisoned for seven years.
Professors merera gudina oromo national congress and beyene petros. Merera gudina, a professor and prominent opposition leader of the. Etenesh abera addis abeba, january 042020 three national political parties competing in ethiopias upcoming general elections in 2020 have agreed to form a regional coalition called coalition for democratic federalism. Abstract in multiethnic country, respect of diversity and ethnic equality is a major tool for national integration. Merera gudina and all other political prisoners in ethiopia it has been confirmed that ethiopia security forces have detained leading opposition figure prof. Aug 09, 2016 merera gudina, chairman of the opposition oromo federalist congress, told the washington post that an estimated 50 people died in the oromia region saturday and 27 were killed sunday in bahir dar. Ethiopia counters merera gudinas request for separate.
Jan 17, 2018 ethiopian opposition leader merera gudina was among hundreds of prisoners released from jail on wednesday as the first step in a government campaign to quell more than two years of antiregime. Merera gudina, ethiopia opposition leader, freed bbc news. He was one of the pioneers who attempted to shade fresh on the history of the oromo, the right of the oromo people to speak, read and write in afaan oromo. Introduction ethiopia entered the era of party politics only at the eve of the revolutionary upheaval of 1974 that ended the countrys ancien regime. Ethnicity, democratisation and decentralization in ethiopia 85 while using naked force to suppress the same demands on the other. Merera gudina recommended three readings to judges during his. The different movements, or more precisely their different leaders merera gudina and bekele gerba, leenco lata, dawud ibsa have their respective subregional strongholds, not to mention jawar mohammed, who reaches a much more dispersed public. Ethiopia frees opposition leader merera gudina ethiopian. Professor merera gudina and bulcha demeksa home facebook. When professor merera gudina was arrested on november 30,2016 up on his return from european parliament hearing, ethiopian government explained the arrest in terms of infringement on sate of emergency legislation introduced in the country since october this year. Ethiopia security forces detain merera gudina after trip to. Gudina is accused of meeting antigovernment elements during a european tour last year. Amharic pdf africanews dr merera gudina, leading opposition figure in ethiopia and chairman of the oromo federalist congress ofc, has finally been charged with terrorism by ethiopian prosecutors. Eu parliament writes to ethiopian president over detained oromo leader by abdur rahman alfa shaban, africa news, 16 december 2016 ethiopia the european parliament ep has officially written to the ethiopian government seeking clarification on the arrest of an opposition leader, dr.
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