Emergency rule declared in Ethiopia amid opposition

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The Ethiopian parliament on Friday approved a six-month state of emergency, which had been declared last month by the Council of Ministers.

The emergency law was passed amid stiff opposition in the parliament which is dominated entirely by the ruling four-party coalition, Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front and its affiliates.

The state of emergency was ratified with 346 'yes' votes and 88 'no' votes. Seven members abstained from the vote.

The emergency rule came a day after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned from premiership and chairmanship of the ruling party.

This is the second time the country has declared a state of emergency.

On Oct. 9, 2016, a state of emergency was declared for six months and later extended by another four months to end in August 2017.

Over the past two years, Ethiopia has been in political turmoil as people in the two largest regions in the country accounting for more than 60 percent of the over 100 million people have been holding incessant anti-government demonstrations.

In his explanation to the parliamentarians as to the necessity of the state of emergency, Federal Attorney General Getachew Ambaye said there has been imminent threat to the constitutional order while the capacity of the country to quell the unrest with regular system has diminished.

He said the emergency was necessary both to maintain the constitutional order, to prevent destruction of property, and protect investment interests, among others.