EPRDF Congress to Start Deliberations Tomorrow

Addis Ababa October 02/2018 The 11th congress of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) will start its deliberations on Wednesday. The congress will hold its meeting, in Hawassa, Southern Ethiopia under the theme of “National Unity for Comprehensive Prosperity”. The congress is expected to deliberate on organizational agendas and discuss in detail on the three-year performance report of the organization. The congress to be held from 3 - 5 October, 2018 in Hawassa, southern Ethiopia, is expected to set directions consistent with the objective realities of the country. After thorough discussions of matters, the congress is also expected to pass crucial decisions on pertinent and current affairs to maintain national development and progress. The meeting, which was scheduled to take place last April, was postponed by taking into account the objective situation in the country and the organization. All the four members of the coalition have conducted their organizational congress prior to the EPRDF congress. Changes have been witnessed in the organizational congress of the member parties. Two of the parties OPDO and ANDM have changed their name and logo, while SEPDM has tasked the new Central Committee to work on it. Accordingly, the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO) has renamed Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), while the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) renamed Amhara Democratic Party (ADP). As the direction set to bring the youth to the leadership position, all the four parties have retired many long-serving officials and elect new faces to their respective Central Committees. Accordingly, ODP has retired 14 long-serving officials, ADP four, TPLF 12, and SEPDM 24 with honor. Though half of the member parties have changed their name and emblem, EPRDF is expected to maintain its name and logo. In a presser she gave two weeks ago, EPRDF Secretariat Office Head, Fetlework Gebre-egziabher said that it has no intention to change neither the name nor the emblem of the front. She also said the organization will continue with the ideology it has been pursuing and make the necessary amendments as an organization that is growing. Some 1,000 voting members drawn from the four members of the front will take part in the 11th congress to be held for three days.