A bloc in Ethiopia’s ruling coalition is faced with a tight task in an upcoming parliamentary vote to ratify a state of emergency (SoE) imposed by government reportedly to quell spreading insecurity. Members of Parliament from the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO) are being lobbied by online activists to vote against the measure when it is put to vote on Friday. Most Oromos aver that the government wants to restrict freedom of expression by the state of emergency move. The other parties in the ruling Ethiopia Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) are: the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement (SEPDM) and the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM). Desalegn (head of SEPDM) took over in September 2012 till his resignation in February 2018.

Source: Ethiopian News March 01, 2018 04:30 UTC