It is also a universally acknowledged truth that human beings in this world of scarce natural resource, can live in harmony with their environment and enjoy prosperous life if they really manage to handle properly and capitalize on the variety of outlooks for their own common good. That was the practical experience of great and industrialized nations that were able to institutionalize multi-party system long before they realize their overall development.
No wonder, multi-party system has got wider acceptance, particularly at this age of globalization when it has even been considered as a means of fostering mutual cooperation and development even among various countries.
Ethiopia is an emerging democracy that has been striving to bring about a robust multi-party system only since barely a couple of decades ago. Though the country has relatively longer history in elections, which was believed to have started almost a century ago, at the time of the monarchy, the concept of multi-party system is only a recent phenomenon. The country had generally been characterized by absence of accommodating various outlooks for almost all of its history. As a result of that grim reality, the country was characterized by protracted civil wars, which were basically the off-shots of different outlooks that could have peacefully been resolved had there been multi-party system in the country.
In short, multi-party system is a new phenomenon to Ethiopia where it was introduced barely a couple of decades ago. The very concept come to the political dictionary of the country in Ginbot 20, 1983, i.e. after EPRDF, the party now in power and which, coordinated the protracted armed struggle of the Ethiopian peoples, overthrew the military regime and controlled the country. After the liberation, EPRDF took the bold initiative of summoning all other armed groups and political organizations operating in and outside of the country to discuss and decide the fate of the country. That was really the first event that heralded the beginning of the round table discussions among various political forces and outlooks. That discussion was actually historic for it led to the establishment of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) that involved the various stakeholders and earlier to the adoption of the TGE Charter in Sene 1983, heralding the prospect ahead the country would have for flourishing multi-party system.
Then, the first step taken in consolidating the infant multi-party system was the establishment of the Electoral Commission with the proclamation number 11/1984 as per the provision of the Charter of the transitional period, as an independent and non-partisan institution responsible for accommodating a level play field among various outlooks so that the public would decide to elect whomsoever as their leaders.
Among the elections undertaken by the Commission was the Constitutional Assembly, which was composed of representatives elected by the peoples of Ethiopia for adopting the Constitution of the country, which was adopted on Hidar 24, 1987, as an emblem of the sovereignty of nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia.
Among the plethora of democratic and human rights provided by the Constitution is the right to form political groups or join any political parties as well as the right to promote one’s outlooks whether privately or in group. The situation encouraged Ethiopians to express their ideas freely and form political groups to their likes which ultimately led to a boom in political groups.
With the prevalence of a conducive environment as such, a total of three general elections were contested by a great multitude of political groups. In the mean time, several measures have also been introduced to consolidate the emerging multi-party system in line with the provisions of the Constitution and with the objective of consolidating it further.
As parts of such effort, the electoral law of the country has been amended to the extent of allowing the involvement of political parties in nominating NEBE’s members so as to ensure the Board’s independence, non-partisanship and efficiency to conduct free, air, democratic and legitimate elections in the country.
The participation of political organizations in the overall political activities of the country was effective since the issuance of the first law of political parties’ registration proclamation number 46/85 at the transitional period. And it has been intensifying ever since.
The number of political parties that contested for Constitutional Assembly in the elections held in 1986 E.C was 41. Out of them, 37 political parties with a total of 510 elected representatives were able to constitute the Assembly.
A year later, when the First General Elections were held in 1987 E.C., there existed a total of 64 legally registered political parties including seven that were operating country wide. Among them, 57 had contested in the elections while 43 of them were able to secure seats at the federal parliament and regional councils.
In the Second General Elections of 1992 E.C., 49 political parties contested with the fielding of 700 candidates for the federal parliament and 2,052 candidates for the regional councils.
The Third General Elections, which took place in 1997 E.C, were unprecedented in terms of participation of voters and contesting political parties. That time, the number of political parties legally registered were 84, including 19 that were operating country wide. Among them, 35 political organizations contested with the field of 1,558 candidates for the federal House and 3,983 candidates for the regional councils.
In the run up to the Fourth General Elections which will take place on Ginbot 15, 2002, there have been a total of 75 political organizations legally registered, including 23 that are operating country wide. Out of the total number, 63 political organizations have fielded 2,178 candidates for the Federal House and 4,730 candidates for the Regional Houses.
The number of contesting parties, as was the case, is usually lower than the number of legally registered ones. But that is because of regroupings of political parties usually made at the height of election in the form of coalitions, unions, fronts etc in an effort to pull joint strength.
Though the multi-party system in Ethiopia is said to be at its infancy, the participation of political organizations in the political process of the country has steadily been intensifying over time. The fact that the political parties are trying to pull their energies together as was the case at the height of election fevers, means that robust multi-party system is within the reach of this country as long as all the political parties commit themselves for positive changes.
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