(June 12 2011, The East African)--Calling itself the Ethiopian Youth Movement, the group had set May 28 as the ‘day of rage’ against what it said was Zenawi’s authoritarian regime.
The day was chosen to coincide with the 20th anniversary celebrations of Ethiopia’s ruling party. In online networks and all through the blogosphere thousands of Ethiopians had subscribed to the cause, giving rise to feeble hopes of a rare challenge to Zenawi’s hold on the Horn of Africa country.
Instead, tens of thousands turned out to fervently mark the ruling Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front (EPRDF) brief but colourful party.
At Meskel Square in the capital Addis Ababa, throngs chanted praises of Zenawi in a solid show of support.
It is estimated that the EPRDF has five million members. However, the Zenawi administration remains far from upholding democratic values and has been repeatedly criticised for its poor human rights and media freedom record.
Despite this the opposition remains a shell. Zenawi’s party holds an absolute 99.6 per cent majority in parliament after last year’s elections.
The date, May 28, also marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of Col Mengistu Hailemariam’s brutal regime, which brought Zenawi and his guerilla group to power after a 17-year bitter struggle.
Delicate act
And Zenawi looks a strong bet to enhance his grip on power. In the last two decades Zenawi has perfected a delicate balancing act of keeping himself relevant, while remaining extremely useful to western powers.
His military victories against Eritrea and Somali Islamists helped buff up the importance of his leadership in a fragile region.
But there have been pockets of turbulence along the way. 2005 was the most challenging year for Zenawi’s administration, after opposition politicians got a landslide victory in all major towns including the capital.
The incumbent responded harshly, with the resulting post-election violence leaving some 200 dead. A slew of opposition leaders also ended in prison.
It has since then looked impossible to challenge Zenawi’s rule through the ballot, leading some opposed to him to declare an armed struggle against him.
The returns have been scant, with some veteran opposition politicians such as Birtukan Midekesa and Siye Abreham opting to retire and go to school abroad for further studies.
The EPRDF officially declares in its party document that a dominant one-party rule would help Ethiopia out of its biting poverty.
Zenawi calls his rule ‘developmental state’ which is far from the traditionally accepted capitalist ideology and liberal administration — which the premier terms a “dead end”.
With this cocktail prescription, Zenawi has succeeded in providing better infrastructure such as roads, telecoms, power and urban housing.
The IMF, World Bank and other multilateral organisations have lavished praise on the Ethiopian economy, and it is now one of the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa, expanding at an average of eight per cent in the last seven years.
Source: The East African
The day was chosen to coincide with the 20th anniversary celebrations of Ethiopia’s ruling party. In online networks and all through the blogosphere thousands of Ethiopians had subscribed to the cause, giving rise to feeble hopes of a rare challenge to Zenawi’s hold on the Horn of Africa country.
Instead, tens of thousands turned out to fervently mark the ruling Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front (EPRDF) brief but colourful party.
At Meskel Square in the capital Addis Ababa, throngs chanted praises of Zenawi in a solid show of support.
It is estimated that the EPRDF has five million members. However, the Zenawi administration remains far from upholding democratic values and has been repeatedly criticised for its poor human rights and media freedom record.
Despite this the opposition remains a shell. Zenawi’s party holds an absolute 99.6 per cent majority in parliament after last year’s elections.
The date, May 28, also marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of Col Mengistu Hailemariam’s brutal regime, which brought Zenawi and his guerilla group to power after a 17-year bitter struggle.
Delicate act
And Zenawi looks a strong bet to enhance his grip on power. In the last two decades Zenawi has perfected a delicate balancing act of keeping himself relevant, while remaining extremely useful to western powers.
His military victories against Eritrea and Somali Islamists helped buff up the importance of his leadership in a fragile region.
But there have been pockets of turbulence along the way. 2005 was the most challenging year for Zenawi’s administration, after opposition politicians got a landslide victory in all major towns including the capital.
The incumbent responded harshly, with the resulting post-election violence leaving some 200 dead. A slew of opposition leaders also ended in prison.
It has since then looked impossible to challenge Zenawi’s rule through the ballot, leading some opposed to him to declare an armed struggle against him.
The returns have been scant, with some veteran opposition politicians such as Birtukan Midekesa and Siye Abreham opting to retire and go to school abroad for further studies.
The EPRDF officially declares in its party document that a dominant one-party rule would help Ethiopia out of its biting poverty.
Zenawi calls his rule ‘developmental state’ which is far from the traditionally accepted capitalist ideology and liberal administration — which the premier terms a “dead end”.
With this cocktail prescription, Zenawi has succeeded in providing better infrastructure such as roads, telecoms, power and urban housing.
The IMF, World Bank and other multilateral organisations have lavished praise on the Ethiopian economy, and it is now one of the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa, expanding at an average of eight per cent in the last seven years.
Source: The East African
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