Ethiopians vote on Monday in national and regional elections that the prime minister has billed as proof of his commitment to democracy after decades of repressive rule in Africa`s second-most populous nation. 
 
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 44, oversaw sweeping political and economic reforms after his appointment in 2018 by the ruling coalition. But some rights activists say those gains are being reversed and complain of abuses in a war in Ethiopia`s Tigray region, charges the government denies. 
 
Abiy said last week the vote would be the "first attempt at free and fair elections" in Ethiopia, whose once rapidly growing economy has been hit by conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Results of the vote could reverberate beyond Ethiopia. The Horn of Africa nation is a diplomatic heavyweight in a volatile region, providing peacekeepers to Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. It also is one of the world`s biggest frontier markets. 
 
Abiy`s newly-formed Prosperity Party is the frontrunner in a crowded field of candidates mostly from smaller, ethnically-based parties. Billboards with his party`s lightbulb symbol adorn the capital. 
 
Former political prisoner Berhanu Nega is the only other prominent candidate not running on an ethnic ticket. But his Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party has struggled to attract support outside cities. 
 
During the last election, the ruling coalition and its allies won all 547 seats. This time, more than 37 million of Ethiopia`s 109 million people are registered to vote, choosing from 46 parties for parliament. The electoral board says more candidates are running this time than in any previous vote. 
 
Not all parties are taking part. In Oromiya, Ethiopia`s most populous province, the largest opposition parties are boycotting over alleged intimidation by regional security forces. Officials did not return calls seeking comment. 
 
Problems with voting registration and simmering ethnic violence have delayed voting in a fifth of constituencies. A second round of voting will take place in September. 
 
No date has been set for voting in Tigray, where the government has been fighting the region`s former governing party, the Tigray People`s Liberation Front, since November. The United Nations says some 350,000 people face famine there. 
 
`ALMOST A DEMOCRACY` 
 
Drinking a beer in the capital Addis Ababa, retired civil servant Yohannes Asrat said he had seen both force and rigging during elections in his lifetime but hoped Monday`s vote would be different. "We`re almost a democracy," he said. 
 
Abiy`s reforms include lifting a ban on dozens of political parties and media outlets, releasing tens of thousands of political prisoners and easing restrictions on political gatherings. 
 
But Fisseha Tekle from rights group Amnesty International said the government was still quashing dissent using a revised anti-terrorism law and new hate speech legislation that can lead to prison terms for online content. 
 
"The government is using these laws to arrest people and keep them in prison for a long time," Fisseha said. 
 
In the capital, many construction projects have paused as growth has slowed in what until recently was one of Africa`s fastest expanding economies, leaving tattered sheeting covering skeletons of unfinished buildings. Many voters are more concerned about reviving the economy than democratic reforms. 
 
Abiy has promised to bring in foreign investment and speed up electrification by filling a giant $4 billion hydropower dam on the Blue Nile, stoking tension with Egypt and Sudan, which fear the Nile water supplies they rely on might be interrupted. 
 
But annual inflation is now about 20% and growth is forecast at just 2% this year after topping 10% before the pandemic. 
 
"The cost of living is increasing," said shopkeeper Murad Merga, whose window was adorned with ruling party posters. But he remained upbeat: "Everything will be fixed step by step."

Ethiopians vote on Monday in national and regional elections that the prime minister has billed as proof of his commitment to democracy after decades of repressive rule in Africa`s second-most populous nation.

Ethiopians vote on Monday in national and regional elections that the prime minister has billed as proof of his commitment to democracy after decades of repressive rule in Africa`s second-most populous nation. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 44, oversaw sweeping political and economic reforms after his appointment in 2018 by the ruling coalition. But some rights activists say those gains are being reversed and complain of abuses in a war in Ethiopia`s Tigray region, charges the government denies. Abiy said last week the vote would be the "first attempt at free and fair elections" in Ethiopia, whose once rapidly growing economy has been hit by conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of the vote could reverberate beyond Ethiopia. The Horn of Africa nation is a diplomatic heavyweight in a volatile region, providing peacekeepers to Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. It also is one of the world`s biggest frontier markets. Abiy`s newly-formed Prosperity Party is the frontrunner in a crowded field of candidates mostly from smaller, ethnically-based parties. Billboards with his party`s lightbulb symbol adorn the capital. Former political prisoner Berhanu Nega is the only other prominent candidate not running on an ethnic ticket. But his Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party has struggled to attract support outside cities. During the last election, the ruling coalition and its allies won all 547 seats. This time, more than 37 million of Ethiopia`s 109 million people are registered to vote, choosing from 46 parties for parliament. The electoral board says more candidates are running this time than in any previous vote. Not all parties are taking part. In Oromiya, Ethiopia`s most populous province, the largest opposition parties are boycotting over alleged intimidation by regional security forces. Officials did not return calls seeking comment. Problems with voting registration and simmering ethnic violence have delayed voting in a fifth of constituencies. A second round of voting will take place in September. No date has been set for voting in Tigray, where the government has been fighting the region`s former governing party, the Tigray People`s Liberation Front, since November. The United Nations says some 350,000 people face famine there. `ALMOST A DEMOCRACY` Drinking a beer in the capital Addis Ababa, retired civil servant Yohannes Asrat said he had seen both force and rigging during elections in his lifetime but hoped Monday`s vote would be different. "We`re almost a democracy," he said. Abiy`s reforms include lifting a ban on dozens of political parties and media outlets, releasing tens of thousands of political prisoners and easing restrictions on political gatherings. But Fisseha Tekle from rights group Amnesty International said the government was still quashing dissent using a revised anti-terrorism law and new hate speech legislation that can lead to prison terms for online content. "The government is using these laws to arrest people and keep them in prison for a long time," Fisseha said. In the capital, many construction projects have paused as growth has slowed in what until recently was one of Africa`s fastest expanding economies, leaving tattered sheeting covering skeletons of unfinished buildings. Many voters are more concerned about reviving the economy than democratic reforms. Abiy has promised to bring in foreign investment and speed up electrification by filling a giant $4 billion hydropower dam on the Blue Nile, stoking tension with Egypt and Sudan, which fear the Nile water supplies they rely on might be interrupted. But annual inflation is now about 20% and growth is forecast at just 2% this year after topping 10% before the pandemic. "The cost of living is increasing," said shopkeeper Murad Merga, whose window was adorned with ruling party posters. But he remained upbeat: "Everything will be fixed step by step."

Ethiopians to vote in what government bills as first free election

Members of Ethiopia's Sidama minority lined up before dawn to vote in a self-determination referendum on Wednesday, a test of Ethiopia's ability to peacefully manage ethnic demands and political change after more than a year of sweeping reform.

Sidama voters described the referendum as the achievement of a lifetime and culmination of decades of struggle for autonomy.

"I consider witnessing this day as if I were born again," said Yerusalem Kawiso, 48, who stood in a queue in Hawassa, the lakeside provincial city the Sidama hope to make their capital, waiting to vote in a pink dressing gown.

"We lived our whole life under oppression. As a child I remember chopped heads of Sidama people displayed at the market. I will never forget the head of my brother in law," she said.

Ethiopia's constitution grants the right to seek autonomy to its more than 80 ethnic groups. More than a dozen groups are debating whether to demand such powers, amid reforms to create a more open society under <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopian-prime-minister-abiy-ahmed-ali-awarded-nobel-peace-prize-255217">Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed</a>, who took office last year and won the Nobel Peace Prize last month.

Shortly after polls opened, the prime minister tweeted: "The Sidama referendum is an expression of the democratization path Ethiopia has set out on. As citizens go out to vote today, I call upon all to engage peacefully throughout the process."

The vote would carve an autonomous region for the Sidama, who comprise about 4 per cent&nbsp;of Ethiopia's 105 million people, out of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region, the most ethnically diverse part of Ethiopia. Other groups who share the region now are wary of disenfranchisement or violence.

At least 17 people died in clashes in July between security forces and Sidama activists after the government delayed the poll by five months.&nbsp;

At a polling station in the Hiteta neighbourhood in Hawassa, women carried babies to vote. Elders queued up wrapped in white, handwoven blankets called gabis, and young men wore traditional Sidama scarves tied around their heads.

Many waved their voting cards in celebration as they waited to cast their ballots when polling stations opened at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT).

"I arrived early to vote as I want my own region," said Emnet Telahun, 22, holding her one-year-old daughter Mirtinesh.

If the referendum passes as expected, the Sidama will control local taxes, education, security and laws in what would become Ethiopia's tenth region.

Since Abiy took office in one of Africa's most tightly controlled states, changes have brought a more open society and a weaker ruling coalition, emboldening politicians advocating for more rights for their ethnic groups.

The 43-year-old prime minister has also moved to open up one of Africa's fastest growing economies, and to make peace with neighbouring Eritrea.

However, the openness has also brought a surge of long-repressed rivalries between ethnic groups, forcing more than 2 million people out of their homes and killing hundreds, according to the United Nations and monitoring groups.

Dukale Lamiso, head of the Sidama Liberation Front, an activist group, said if the voting were unfair or the referendum should fail to bring autonomy, "that would be a danger for Ethiopia itself because of course there will be violence."

About 2.3 million voters are registered at nearly 1,700 polling stations, the national electoral board said. Polling stations close at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT). Preliminary results are due on Thursday.

The vote will also be closely watched for its tone in the run-up to a general election next year, which Abiy has promised will be free and fair. Previous elections going back to 2005 were marred by irregularities and violence.

Members of Ethiopia's Sidama minority lined up before dawn to vote in a self-determination referendum on Wednesday, a test of Ethiopia's ability to peacefully manage ethnic demands and political change after more than a year of sweeping reform.

Members of Ethiopia's Sidama minority lined up before dawn to vote in a self-determination referendum on Wednesday, a test of Ethiopia's ability to peacefully manage ethnic demands and political change after more than a year of sweeping reform. Sidama voters described the referendum as the achievement of a lifetime and culmination of decades of struggle for autonomy. "I consider witnessing this day as if I were born again," said Yerusalem Kawiso, 48, who stood in a queue in Hawassa, the lakeside provincial city the Sidama hope to make their capital, waiting to vote in a pink dressing gown. "We lived our whole life under oppression. As a child I remember chopped heads of Sidama people displayed at the market. I will never forget the head of my brother in law," she said. Ethiopia's constitution grants the right to seek autonomy to its more than 80 ethnic groups. More than a dozen groups are debating whether to demand such powers, amid reforms to create a more open society under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office last year and won the Nobel Peace Prize last month. Shortly after polls opened, the prime minister tweeted: "The Sidama referendum is an expression of the democratization path Ethiopia has set out on. As citizens go out to vote today, I call upon all to engage peacefully throughout the process." The vote would carve an autonomous region for the Sidama, who comprise about 4 per cent of Ethiopia's 105 million people, out of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region, the most ethnically diverse part of Ethiopia. Other groups who share the region now are wary of disenfranchisement or violence. At least 17 people died in clashes in July between security forces and Sidama activists after the government delayed the poll by five months. At a polling station in the Hiteta neighbourhood in Hawassa, women carried babies to vote. Elders queued up wrapped in white, handwoven blankets called gabis, and young men wore traditional Sidama scarves tied around their heads. Many waved their voting cards in celebration as they waited to cast their ballots when polling stations opened at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT). "I arrived early to vote as I want my own region," said Emnet Telahun, 22, holding her one-year-old daughter Mirtinesh. If the referendum passes as expected, the Sidama will control local taxes, education, security and laws in what would become Ethiopia's tenth region. Since Abiy took office in one of Africa's most tightly controlled states, changes have brought a more open society and a weaker ruling coalition, emboldening politicians advocating for more rights for their ethnic groups. The 43-year-old prime minister has also moved to open up one of Africa's fastest growing economies, and to make peace with neighbouring Eritrea. However, the openness has also brought a surge of long-repressed rivalries between ethnic groups, forcing more than 2 million people out of their homes and killing hundreds, according to the United Nations and monitoring groups. Dukale Lamiso, head of the Sidama Liberation Front, an activist group, said if the voting were unfair or the referendum should fail to bring autonomy, "that would be a danger for Ethiopia itself because of course there will be violence." About 2.3 million voters are registered at nearly 1,700 polling stations, the national electoral board said. Polling stations close at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT). Preliminary results are due on Thursday. The vote will also be closely watched for its tone in the run-up to a general election next year, which Abiy has promised will be free and fair. Previous elections going back to 2005 were marred by irregularities and violence.

Ethiopia's Sidama vote on autonomy in test of nationalist passions

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Ethiopians to vote in what government bills as first free election

Ethiopia's Sidama vote on autonomy in test of nationalist passions