ONLF supports postponement of Ethiopian elections over Coronavirus

ADDIS ABABA - The decision by National Elections Board of Ethiopia [NEBE] to postpone August polls is "timely" for the sake of saving people, Ogaden National Liberation Front said in a statement, a huge move for the stability of the Horn of Africa nation.

In one of drastic measure to avert the spread of Coronavirus, the board announced the decision, ending early campaigns which had started gathering steam in several parts of the country.

The Birtukan Mideksa-led team suspended preparations for the polls, citing the Coronavirus pandemic as the main reason. Already, 16 positive cases have been recorded by the health department, officials said.

"Because of issues related to the coronavirus, the board has decided it can't conduct the election as planned... so it has decided to void that calendar and suspend all activities," NEBE said in a statement, Tuesday.

It said a new date would be given "when the pandemic is over" initially, the board had settled in August. 30 for the historical polls, the first to be held in a democratic space due to reforms initiated by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed.

And the ONLF, the official opposition party in the Somali region, commonly called Ogaden, backed the idea of delaying the elections because "political positions are not as important as human lives", adding that it's time to focus on eradication of the disease.

"ONLF views NEBE 's decision to postpone the Elections in Ethiopia as sound in view of the current danger of COVID19," the party said in a tweet, perhaps in solidarity with Ahmed, who has been coordinating Africa's response to the virus.

The separatist party is the first to endorse the statement, which automatically disrupts the electoral calendar, which would have seen Ahmed face-first competitive polls under his medemer philosophy.

Electoral board's decision, ONLF said, would prevent unnecessary exposure of Ethiopians to the virus, whose vaccine is yet to be established by scientists across the world.

"Therefore, ONLF fully supports it. Saving the lives of our peoples are more important than occupying political offices," added the party, which has been revamping under the leadership of Abdirahman Mahdi, who was recently elected as chairman.

ONLF is keen to dislodge the leadership of Mustafe Omer, the interim president of the Somali region, which has traditionally fought alleged discrimination from Addis Ababa. The region was the epicenter of Ethiopia's war against Somalia in 1977.

Mr. Ahmed, the Nobel Peace laureate, took over in 2018 and has engineered various reforms including freeing several political prisoners. Also, he has folded the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, opting for Prosperity Party.

But the move was vehemently opposed by Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF], which had been a major stakeholder of the coalition since the disposition of Mengistu Haile Mariam, officials said.

Jawar Mohammed, a leading opposition politician from the Oromia region, however, told AFP news agency that a new calendar "cannot be done by the ruling party alone".

Mohamed, a renowned media entrepreneur and founder of Oromia Media Network, has been at loggerheads with PM Ahmed, whom he accuses of among others, dictatorship and incompetence.

Statistics from the World Health Organization [WHO] indicate that over 940,000 people have contracted the deadly virus. About 199,000 have recovered while 50,000 have since died, added the report.

Ethiopia was the first nation in Africa to receive medical consignment donations from Chinese philanthropist Jack Ma, who dispatched it across Africa through the aid of Mr. Ahmed. Ethiopian airlines partnered with Ma's Alibaba Group.

Besides the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethiopia is also facing border challenges with Kenya in the South. On Wednesday, KDF troops closed the Moyale section, triggering wrath from militia groups from Ethiopia who use the entry for smuggling, officials said.

GAROWE ONLINE