Ethiopians Paying Dearly Due to Extreme Political Culture, Say Opposition Leaders

Addis Ababa July 1/2019 The extreme political culture that has been practiced in Ethiopia over the decades has made the country pay dearly, some political party leaders said.

Opposition party leaders approached by ENA said despite the struggle made by Ethiopians to usher in a reform which is expected to transform the whole nation to a new chapter, the political polarization continues as an obstacle to democratic consolidation.

Yethiopia Raey Party, President Teshale Sebro said the nation has lost its great political and military leaders last week because of the distorted view towards political power.

“We have seen very terrible killings last week. We lost great minds of civil and military  leaders because of blind political power greed.” he underscored.

Noting that in the attempted and failed coup d'etat in Amhara Regional State, three top political leaders were assassinated, Teshale said, adding that this is a sign of capturing political power by force which was practiced in the old way. There are unfortunately some political forces that want to repeat the old mistakes over and over, he elaborated.

“For me this situation has an important implication that political elites have been unable to respond adequately to the complex crises. So we need to stand and think on how we transform this magnificent country,” the president stated.

Appreciating the  report of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the HPR today, Teshale said “the report was clear and precise on political issues in particular. He noted that his government will not tolerate any disruption that could challenge the unity of the country.”  

The president urged political parties to develop a new democratic culture that take power only through election, not through the barrel of the gun.

Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Leader Birhanu Nega said on his part Ethiopian political forces should pursue moderate and civilized political practice.

Pointing out that his party struggled for so long to ensure democratic transfer of power through peaceful means, he stressed that seizing power through the barrel of a gun is unacceptable.

Birhanu underscored that the only option and lasting solution is dialogue.