The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) Wednesday announced it is making preliminary preparations to conduct referendum within five months on the ethnic Sidama’s demand for statehood.
The board’s announcement came a day before officials of the Sidama people, southern Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, are threatening to unilaterally declare the formation of a new regional state within Ethiopia’s federation on July 18, 2019 unless the government meets a constitutionally mandated deadline to organise a referendum on the issue before that date.
In a recent speech to parliament, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s said the federal government would use force to supress activities related to the formation of a new regional state in the Sidama region of southern Ethiopia.
If the federal government accedes to the Sidama’s constitutional demands without proper preparation, it could aggravate deadly unrest.
But seeking to frustrate the demands is equally perilous.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Board said the referendum will hold within the time frame granted by Article 47/3/b/ of the country’s constitution, which calls for a referendum within one year after a demand is received.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia received Sidama zone administration council’s demand through the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNP) regional state on November, 20, 2018.
The Board is currently preparing code of conduct, recruiting and training independent election executives, making security arrangements, holding talks with stakeholders and drafting documents, amongst others, to carry out the referendum in the next five months, the statement indicated.
About ten ethnic groups have raised demands for statehood after the current adminstration led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power on April 2nd 2018.
Ethiopia is a federal democratic republic composed of nine national regional states: namely Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Benishangul-Gumuz, Southern Nations Nationalities and People Region (SNNPR), Gambella and Harari, and two Administrative states (Addis Ababa City administration and Dire Dawa city council).
The Board also called on stakeholders to make their own preparations ahead of the referendum.
MG/as/APA