Western Countries Should Respect Interest of Ethiopians Demonstrated in 6th General Election

Western countries should respect the decision and interest of Ethiopians demonstrated in the 6th General Election held in June 2021, a scholar said.

Based on the results of the 6th General Election declared by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, a new government is going to be established in less than a week.

More than 40 million voters showed up at the polls with over 9,000 candidates from 46  contending political parties.

According to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, the ruling Prosperity Party won 410 seats out of 484 seats at the House of People’s Representative which enables the party to establish a government.

Addis Ababa University Social Anthropology lecturer and researcher, Tekalign Ayalew told ENA that Ethiopia can now form a government that is elected democratically and peacefully.

According to him, the election was an amazing democratic moment for Ethiopians, observed by the world and documented by the international media.

Accepting the fact that the new government was elected by the people in a transparent election, countries should work with the government by respecting the voice of the public, Tekalign noted.

“Millions of voters turned out to the polls despite the pressure, fake news, conflicts and other problems. This means a lot, the scholar stated, adding that “the world, especially the Western countries should recognize the voice of the people.”

He pointed out that those countries that criticize the election should try to understand what the people of Ethiopia want and support the new government as the people have clearly expressed their interests.

The social anthropologist also believes that the new government should work by giving due attention to diplomatic relations with countries.

The new government should also strengthen public diplomacy to further promote the national interest of the country.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency