6 Months to Elections (Here and There…)

Recently we learnt the date of next year’s election in #Ethiopia – 24 May 2015. So last Monday marked the 6 month countdown. I know that the National Election Board, #NEBE, are already very busy making preparations. This will be only the fifth opportunity Ethiopians have had to chose their government through the ballot box: before the Constitution was agreed in 1994 it was blood (inherited or spilt) rather than votes that usually determined who ran the country.

Ethiopia will not, however, be the only important election taking place during that month – British citizens will be going to the polls just a few weeks before, on 7 May 2015. A legislative change by our current coalition government means that the our elections are now likely to remain on a constant five year timetable. It’s always a busy time for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office #FCO as we prepare for transition – whether it be to a new government, a new set of Ministers, or new foreign policy priorities. Definitely no leave around then for Ambassadors!

Obviously there will be some major differences between the British and Ethiopian elections in terms of the context and the issues at play. But there’s actually a lot that is rather similar. For starters, both countries use the First Past the Post system. Both countries also have coalition governments (of different complexions). In the #UK there is currently a debate about which parties should appear in television debates, which I know has been a question in Ethiopia in the past too. And the UK vote will come in the context of sometimes sensitive relations between the centre and the different regions, something which is very also familiar to voters here!

So does the UK care about the Ethiopian election? Obviously we don’t have any preference for one political party or another doing well. That’s entirely for the Ethiopian electorate to decide. But as the host and partner for our largest development programme in the world, of course we hope that the 2015 elections will represent a strong step forwards in Ethiopia’s transition to a mature and flourishing multi-party democracy. That hopefully means that it will be more genuinely competitive than last time around!

But in this context it’s been concerning to see the arrests of a number of leaders and members of political parties around the country in recent weeks – in some cases to be charged under anti-terrorism legislation. The message this conveys about political space six months before the election doesn’t seem to be a particularly positive one. It will be important that the treatment of those arrested, both in detention and during their court hearings, is in full accordance with the Constitution to maintain everybody’s confidence in the legal process. And the government says clearly that these arrests are nothing to do with the electoral process and that they want to see fair, free and open elections take place – which is an important message.

I hope both countries can go on to hold vibrant and competitive elections next year, with voters being given a real choice on the issues that matter to them. It’s certainly going to be a busy period, and I’m sure there will be more to say on the issue in the coming months!