EU warns against stifling opposition

Ethiopia’s ruling coalition is stifling opposition groups in the country which is leading to increased ethnic violence, the European Union (EU) has said. It said a “remaining challenge” facing the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was to advance democracy in the country. In a speech, the current president of the EU in Ethiopia, Greek Ambassador Spyros Aliagas, warned that stifling opposition voices could lead to violence. “The overwhelming majority of the ruling party coalition at all levels of government does not facilitate a major role of the opposition in parliament and outside,” he said. He referred to two clashes in the south of the country earlier this year which left more than 100 people dead. “The problems of an uneven democratic empowerment in this ethnically diverse country are rising to the surface and could be witnessed by serious incidents in the Southern Region earlier this year,” he said. The EU has called for an “open, transparent and public” enquiry into the killings in Tepi and Awassa. The EPRDF is a coalition group made up of four parties and dominated by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The EU said that the current decentralisation of power in the country must involve giving people access to decision making. “Free and fair elections are the most effective means of achieving this empowerment,” the EU ambassador said. However, despite the criticism, he added that important strides had been made in improving democracy in the country. “The EU noted with satisfaction that the prime minister very recently declared the judiciary reform as the top most priority of his government,” he said. He also described the country as a “a reliable partner in securing peace and stability in the Horn”. The speech by Ambassador Aliagas was made at the weekend during a high level donors' meeting addressing Ethiopia’s poverty reduction plan. He welcomed moves by the government to address the plight of women in the poverty reduction strategy. “The situation for Ethiopian women, including grave human rights violations such as early marriage, female genital mutilation, rape, abduction and trafficking, is a serious concern,” he said. The EU also said the anti-poverty plan had recognised “private sector development as the engine of growth”. But Aliagas warned that areas within the agricultural sector still need major reform. In particular, he cited restrictions on the security of land tenure and the lack of access to credits and controls on fertilisers and transportation. He also warned that HIV/AIDS, unless tackled, could place a “formidable strain” on the social and economic development of the country.