On Friday, the House of People’s Representatives held an emergency session on state of emergency legislation imposed on Feb. 16, a day after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s surprise resignation. In fact, a vote of 346 would be below the threshold needed if the two-thirds rule applied to the total number of seats, rather than the number of parliamentarians present. It was not clear from the constitution how the two-thirds rule was meant to be applied. The dispute could become yet another battleground in a country where unrest was triggered over land rights, before broadening into protests over marginalisation. The ruling EPRDF’s council is expected to announce Hailemariam’s successor next week following a vote, with many analysts expecting an Oromo to take the reins.

Source: Ethiopian News March 03, 2018 18:33 UTC