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Closing the Transition: the May 1995 Elections in Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Terrence Lyons
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Extract

The Ethiopian transition, that began with the overthrow of military dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in May 1991, formally ended with the swearing in of the newly elected Government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia in August 1995. The intervening four years were a contentious time of clashes among rival political forces to determine the rules under which the transition would be conducted and hence which forces would be favoured. The first act of the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) after deposing Mengistu was to convene a National Conference and establish a Council of Representatives that initially included a wide array of political groups. The EPRDF led throughout this transitional period and capitalised on its commanding position to consolidate its power. The party dominated the political landscape by virtue of its military power, effective organisation and leadership, and control of the agenda and rules of competition. It structured the transition around new ethnically defined regions, a constitution that emphasised self-determination, and a series of largely uncontested elections.

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Articles
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , March 1996 , pp. 121 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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References

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21 National Democratic Institute, op. cit. pp. 3–4.

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32 ‘EEC Statement of Ethiopia’, Reuters, 27 06 1994.Google Scholar

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36 Wrong, loc. cit.

37 An explosion in Dire Dawa on 4 May 1995 did not seem to be connected to the elections, and voting proceeded there quietly, although participation was low.

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41 The Amhara National Democratic Movement had originally been a multi-ethnic party known as the Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement, and some notable ANDM leaders before that had been in the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party.

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46 I have benefited from discussions on these points with Kevin Johnson and his colleagues at the National Democratic Institute in Addis Ababa from March to June 1995 and thereafter in Washington, DC.Google Scholar

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49 Quoted in Buckely, Stephen, ‘Ethiopia Takes New Ethnic Tack: deliberately divisive’, in The Washington Post, 18 06 1995, p. A21.Google Scholar

50 American Embassy, ‘U.S. Applauds Elections as Key Step on Road to Democracy’, Addis Ababa, Press Release, 22 06 1995.Google Scholar

51 Organisation of African Unity, ‘Statement by the OAU Observer Group to Ethiopia's Federal and Regional Council Elections – May 7, 1995’, Addis Ababa, 12 May 1995.

52 Cited by Reuters, ‘Ruling Coalition Wins Ethiopia Vote’, in The New York Times, 9 05 1995, p. A6.Google Scholar