The new Aug. 16 date is tentative, she told Reuters. There have been regular parliamentary elections since the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took power in 1991 but, with one exception, none were competitive. He has freed journalists and activists, lifted bans on political parties, appointed former dissidents to high-level posts and prosecuted officials for rights abuses. There was no immediate reaction from opposition parties to the probable Aug. 16 election date. As well as political change, Abiy has also kickstarted ambitious economic reforms aimed at opening up one of Africa's fastest-growing but most closed economies.

Source: Ethiopian News January 15, 2020 08:07 UTC