Ethiopia will hold its seventh national election on June 1. The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) gave a green light for the vote to proceed despite continuing internal conflicts and human rights abuses.While it is important to keep the momentum of democratic transition going, the current situation in the country does not provide conducive conditions for free, fair, and credible elections.Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of listConflict and violenceWhen Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into power in 2018, there was significant optimism that the country would transition to constitutional democracy. While some were cautious, most Ethiopians were enthusiastic about the political change that came after a series of bloody political protests that crippled the then-authoritarian government of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).Indeed, after a few months of coming to power, Prime Minister Abiy delivered on many fronts. Political prisoners, journalists and activists who were imprisoned unjustly were released. Repressive laws, including the infamous “anti-terrorism” law, the media law, the electoral law and other legislation, were amended. Abiy also normalised relations with Eritrea, a development that ultimately earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and broad international acclaim.But these reforms were soon overshadowed by internal conflict. In 2020, war erupted between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Human Rights Watch, Amn …
