Mr. Hailemariam resigned a day after some of these prisoners were released, including prominent opposition leaders and journalists. (More than 6,000 detainees have been freed in the past month in a government amnesty that Mr. Hailemariam and his party promised in January.) The Constitution stipulates that the prime minister be a member of the federal Parliament. The declaration of martial law, which will put the country effectively under military command, does not bode well for the reform process that Mr. Hailemariam cited as a reason for his early exit. In his televised address on Thursday, Mr. Hailemariam emphasized the need for a national consensus, but consensus is not a single-party affair.

Source: Ethiopian News February 18, 2018 20:03 UTC