President Sahle-Verk Zewde told parliament on Monday that the government’s priorities include reducing inflation – which has risen to about 20% this year – and reducing the cost of living as well as unemployment.
The United Nations has warned that millions of people are facing famine in Ethiopia’s war-torn northern region of Tigre. 11 months ago there were clashes between federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigreyan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the political party that controls the Tigre. Thousands have died and more than two million have been forced to flee their homes.
Ethiopia accused UN officials of failing to send aid and communications equipment to the TPLF, demanding the return of aid trucks deployed to Tigre, violating security arrangements and spreading misinformation.
The United States also condemned the evictions and warned that it would not hesitate to use unilateral sanctions against those who hinder humanitarian efforts.
Abiy was appointed prime minister in 2018 by the then governing coalition and promised political and economic reforms.
Within months of taking office, he lifted sanctions on opposition parties, released thousands of political prisoners and took steps to open up one of Africa’s last untapped markets.
His government now faces accusations from rights groups that it is taking back some of the new freedoms it denies.
In the June vote, Abiy’s Prosperity Party won 410 of the 436 parliamentary seats out of a total of 547. In another 111 seats, polling was delayed due to security and logistics issues.
The opposition parties Ezema and the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) won less than 10 seats in the June vote.
Voting took place in an additional 47 constituencies on 30 September. The results for those regions are not yet declared but will not affect the overall result.
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