Addis Ababa: Ethiopians voted on Monday in a delayed national election against the backdrop of war and famine in the northern Tigray region and questions over the poll’s credibility.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 44, is facing voters for the first time since coming to power in 2018 championing a democratic revival in Africa’s second-most populous country, and a break from its authoritarian past.
Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate who freed political prisoners, welcomed back exiles and ended a cold war with neighbouring Eritrea, had promised Ethiopia’s most competitive election in history, free of the repression that marred previous ballots.
Voting in his hometown of Beshasha, central Ethiopia, Abiy said all who participated deserved respect no matter the outcome.
“What we’re witnessing right now is the spirit of the people. In so many ways, this election has been better than those past’’, Abiy told the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, a state-run network.
In Addis Ababa, voters queued for hours to cast their ballots, with long lines snaking around city blocks.
First-time voter Bezawit Mekonnen said it was worth the wait. “I want to see change, and I feel that my vote matters now’’, said the 30-year-old public health officer.
Others turned out before dawn, wrapped in blankets against the morning cold, to secure a spot at the front of the line.
“This election is different’’, said Milyon Gebregziabher, a 45-year-old travel agent voting in Addis Ababa.
“There are a number of parties to choose from. In the past there was just one — we did not have the luxury of choice.”
Voters wore face masks, and electoral officials sprayed their hands with sanitiser before checking their IDs against the register.
In Bahir Dar, capital of the northwestern Amhara region neighbouring Tigray, voters said peace and economic growth were the priorities. — AFP
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