Referendum Seen as Key Test for Ahmed

Voting begins today in Ethiopia in a referendum that is being seen as a key test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s premiership and the liberalising reforms he’s installed in the country since coming to office.

The vote will determine whether the Sidama ethnic group will be granted their own regional state, giving them control over local tax laws, education, and their own police force.

It is being closely watched by other ethnic groups around the country, many of whom will no doubt demand similar referenda if the vote goes the way it’s expected to.

The Sidama make up around 4 per cent of Ethiopia’s population meaning they are the fifth largest ethnic group in the country.

Most of them currently live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), which is home to more than 50 ethnic groups.

Drawn up in 1995, Ethiopia’s constitution divided the country into nine regional states, defined by the majority ethnic groups that inhabited them.

The Sidama have since felt left out, and the region has recently witnessed violent clashes, notably earlier this year when the planned referendum was delayed, sparking demonstrations in numerous cities and resulting in the deaths of 25 protestors.

People will be hoping the vote can be concluded without seeing a return to the violence that has characterised the region in recent months.

Ahmed came to office in April 2018 and spent the first 18 months of his premiership lifting the state of the emergency in the country, including extending freedom of speech and legalisation of opposition parties.

This has given many the confidence to speak out against rival groups, lifting the lid on underlying tensions and resulting in clashes across the country.

An estimated three million people have been forced from their homes in the past 20 months.

The electoral commission has said the referendum results are expected to be known on Thursday.