Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Encyclopedia
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia
. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization
(OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement
(ANDM), the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front (SEPDF)(This particular party has a students's Wing in Adama Science and Technology University created by Tamiru) and the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF). Together they had 472 of the 527 seats in the House of People's Representatives
following the election held in May 2000. The results of the last legislative elections
, 15 May 2005 have not been accepted by all contesting parties. The disagreements led to a prolonged crisis and public unrest which led to the death of 193 Ethiopians which included civilians and police officers. The ruling front claimed to have won 327 of the 527 seats. The opposition, which claims widespread fraud and intimidation, claims that the two major opposition coalitions together would form a majority. Though one of the major opposition parties (Coalition for Unity and Democracy
) carried Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa by a landslide, they did not have the stronghold which the EPRDF has in rural Ethiopia.
The EPRDF's two main opponents in the 2005 elections
were the Coalition for Unity and Democracy and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
, both of which are also coalitions of multiple opposition parties. The opposition made spectacular gains in the election which appeared to have caught all observers, including the contestants themselves, off guard. Early results from the polls showed that the opposition on course to sweep to power with a substantial majority. However, the National Election Board
which the Prime Minister appoints, stopped the vote tabulation process for several days leading to a break in the chain of control of ballot boxes. When the counting finally resumed and the ruling coalition declared itself the winner, the opposition cried foul and contested the results.
; the ANDM based in the Amhara Region
; the SEPDF based in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region; and the TPLF based in the Tigray Region
. A total of about 4 million people are together members of the allied parties. The EPRDF is led by a central committee
as well as a Politbureau, whose members are selected every three years by a congress of the party. The four member parties have the same organizational structure. Government and party structures are closely intertwined with each other. This interweaving reaches down to the local level, as described in its 10 March 2010 report, Human Rights Watch
:
The other five regions of Ethiopia
are governed by parties which were either created or heavily influenced by the EPRDF. One of the earliest was the Afar People's Democratic Organization in the Afar Region
, which subsequently merged with other Afar
political groups to create the Afar National Democratic Party
. In the Somali Region
, the Somali People's Democratic Party
was founded in 1998 after relations with the Ogaden National Liberation Front
soured. In the Harari Region
is the Hareri National League
, while in Gambela
is the Gambela People's Democratic Movement
and in Benishangul-Gumuz Region is the Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front.
, and federalism
, while stressing the right of self-determination of the individual ethnic groups of Ethiopia. The alliance also professes today a free market
orientation. Although the current federal republic originated the centralizing efforts of Imperial Ethiopia and the unitary orientation of the Derg
junta, the EPRDF claims to have introduced political decentralization,in which the regional states have own parliaments and governments and opened Ethiopia to a multi-party democracy. Despite this decentralization, the EPRDF remained very much a centralized organization.
In its 19 years as the ruling party, the EPRDF has pursued a policy of the so-called Agricultural development Lead Industrialization, after the Maoist
economic policy of the early communist China
. Despite professing that it supports a private market economy, the EPRDF-dominated administration has actually hindered private initiative.
known as the Derg
. Formed from the union of the TPLF and the Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (EPDM) in early 1989, they were later joined by the OPDO (Oromo prisoners of war of the TPLF and EPLF, and Oromo members of EPDM) and the Ethiopian Democratic Officers’ Revolutionary Movement (a small body of Derg officers captured by TPLF, most notably at Shire
in February 1989, which was later disbanded after the establishment of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia
.
The EPRDF held its sixth party congress in September 2006 at Mek'ele
in the Tigray Region
.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization
Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization
The Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization is an ethnic-based political party in Ethiopia, and part of the alliance with the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front and the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front that forms the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary...
(OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement
Amhara National Democratic Movement
The Amhara National Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia.At the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that won 327 out of 527 seats...
(ANDM), the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front (SEPDF)(This particular party has a students's Wing in Adama Science and Technology University created by Tamiru) and the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF). Together they had 472 of the 527 seats in the House of People's Representatives
House of People's Representatives
The Federal Parliamentary Assembly of Ethiopia has two chambers. The lower house is the House of Peoples' Representatives with 547 members , elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies.-Speakers of the House of Peoples'...
following the election held in May 2000. The results of the last legislative elections
Ethiopian general elections, 2005
Ethiopia held general elections on May 15, 2005, for seats in both its national and in four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this election would be proof that more democracy would come in this multi-ethnic...
, 15 May 2005 have not been accepted by all contesting parties. The disagreements led to a prolonged crisis and public unrest which led to the death of 193 Ethiopians which included civilians and police officers. The ruling front claimed to have won 327 of the 527 seats. The opposition, which claims widespread fraud and intimidation, claims that the two major opposition coalitions together would form a majority. Though one of the major opposition parties (Coalition for Unity and Democracy
Coalition for Unity and Democracy
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy is a coalition of four existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. Its leader is Dr...
) carried Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa by a landslide, they did not have the stronghold which the EPRDF has in rural Ethiopia.
The EPRDF's two main opponents in the 2005 elections
Ethiopian general elections, 2005
Ethiopia held general elections on May 15, 2005, for seats in both its national and in four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this election would be proof that more democracy would come in this multi-ethnic...
were the Coalition for Unity and Democracy and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces
The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces is a coalition of several existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005....
, both of which are also coalitions of multiple opposition parties. The opposition made spectacular gains in the election which appeared to have caught all observers, including the contestants themselves, off guard. Early results from the polls showed that the opposition on course to sweep to power with a substantial majority. However, the National Election Board
National Election Board of Ethiopia
The National Election Board of Ethiopia is an autonomous government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' Representatives....
which the Prime Minister appoints, stopped the vote tabulation process for several days leading to a break in the chain of control of ballot boxes. When the counting finally resumed and the ruling coalition declared itself the winner, the opposition cried foul and contested the results.
Organization
The EPRDF is an alliance of four parties: the OPDO, which is based in the Oromia RegionOromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
; the ANDM based in the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
; the SEPDF based in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region; and the TPLF based in the Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
. A total of about 4 million people are together members of the allied parties. The EPRDF is led by a central committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
as well as a Politbureau, whose members are selected every three years by a congress of the party. The four member parties have the same organizational structure. Government and party structures are closely intertwined with each other. This interweaving reaches down to the local level, as described in its 10 March 2010 report, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
:
- Today, kebeleKebeleA kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
officials wield a massive amount of power over their constituents in a myriad ways, in a system where the line between state and ruling party is firmly entrenched. Kebele officials determine eligibility for food assistance, recommend referrals to secondary health care and schools, and provide access to state-distributed resources like seeds, fertilizers, and other essential agricultural inputs. Minor claims and disputes at the kebele level are adjudicated by social courts based in these Kebeles. Local prisons; and, in some places, local-level militia are used to execute the laws and political decisions of the ruling party.
The other five regions of Ethiopia
Regions of Ethiopia
||Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions and two chartered cities...
are governed by parties which were either created or heavily influenced by the EPRDF. One of the earliest was the Afar People's Democratic Organization in the Afar Region
Afar Region
Afar is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Asayita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash - Asseb highway is under construction....
, which subsequently merged with other Afar
Afar people
The Afar , also known as the Danakil, are an ethnic group in the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.-Early history:...
political groups to create the Afar National Democratic Party
Afar National Democratic Party
The Afar National Democratic Party is a political party in Ethiopia.At the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party won 8 seats, all from the Afar Region...
. In the Somali Region
Somali Region
Somali Region ; is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. The capital of Somali State is Jijiga...
, the Somali People's Democratic Party
Somali People's Democratic Party
The Somali People's Democratic Party is a political party in Ethiopia, officially representing the Somali people. It is allied with, but not a member of, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front ....
was founded in 1998 after relations with the Ogaden National Liberation Front
Ogaden National Liberation Front
The Ogaden National Liberation Front , is a separatist rebel group fighting to make the region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state...
soured. In the Harari Region
Harari Region
Harari or officially, Harari People's National Regional State is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, covering the homeland of the Harari people...
is the Hareri National League
Hareri National League
The Harari National League is a political party in Ethiopia. Its chairman, Murad Abdullahi, is also president of the Harari Region.The party celebrated its tenth anniversary 25 August 2001, under the leadership of chairman Fuad Ibrahim...
, while in Gambela
Gambela Region
Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro and Akobo Rivers, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient....
is the Gambela People's Democratic Movement
Gambela People's Democratic Movement
The Gambela Peoples’ Democratic Movement is a political party in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia...
and in Benishangul-Gumuz Region is the Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front.
Political ideology
The EPRDF professes an ideology of democratic socialismDemocratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
, and federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
, while stressing the right of self-determination of the individual ethnic groups of Ethiopia. The alliance also professes today a free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
orientation. Although the current federal republic originated the centralizing efforts of Imperial Ethiopia and the unitary orientation of the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
junta, the EPRDF claims to have introduced political decentralization,in which the regional states have own parliaments and governments and opened Ethiopia to a multi-party democracy. Despite this decentralization, the EPRDF remained very much a centralized organization.
In its 19 years as the ruling party, the EPRDF has pursued a policy of the so-called Agricultural development Lead Industrialization, after the Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
economic policy of the early communist China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Despite professing that it supports a private market economy, the EPRDF-dominated administration has actually hindered private initiative.
History
Before it became the government in 1991, the EPRDF was a rebel group, battling the military juntaMilitary dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
known as the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
. Formed from the union of the TPLF and the Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (EPDM) in early 1989, they were later joined by the OPDO (Oromo prisoners of war of the TPLF and EPLF, and Oromo members of EPDM) and the Ethiopian Democratic Officers’ Revolutionary Movement (a small body of Derg officers captured by TPLF, most notably at Shire
Shire, Ethiopia
Shire , also known as Inda Selassie , is a town in northern Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Mirabawi Zone of the Tigray region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an altitude of 1953 meters above sea level...
in February 1989, which was later disbanded after the establishment of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia
Transitional Government of Ethiopia
The Transitional government of Ethiopia was established immediately after the fall of the Dergue regime. It was led by Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Zenawi remains the prime minister of Ethiopia to this day....
.
The EPRDF held its sixth party congress in September 2006 at Mek'ele
Mek'ele
Mek'ele , also transliterated as Makale, is a city in northern Ethiopia and the capital of the Tigray Region. It is located some 650 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa, at latitude and longitude with an elevation of 2084 meters above sea level...
in the Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
.