List of political parties in Ethiopia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article lists political parties in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a multi-party parliament. The legislature was mostly dominated by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, until it was succeeded by the Prosperity Party in December 2019. The latest general election would have taken place in August 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The most recent general election took place in 2021.

List[edit]

Parliamentary parties[edit]

Party Political positions Ideology Created House
Prosperity Party
Amharic: ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, romanizedBilit͟s’igina Paritī
Oromo: Paartii Badhaadhiinaa
Somali: Xisbiga Barwaaqo
Centre Ethiopian nationalism
Liberalism
Economic liberalism
Federalism
2019[2]
410 / 547
National Movement of Amhara
Amharic: የአማራ ብሔራዊ ንቅናቄ, romanizedYe’āmara Biḥērawī Nik’inak’ē
Centre-right
to right-wing
Amhara self-determination
Ethnic nationalism
Liberalism
2018
5 / 547
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice
Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዜጎች ለማህበራዊ ፍትህ, romanizedYe-Ïtiyop'iya Zēgochi Le-mahiberawī Fitih
Centre Liberalism
Ethiopian nationalism
2019
4 / 547
Gedeo People's Democratic Party Gedeo interests
Regionalism
1992
2 / 547
Tigray People's Liberation Front
Tigrinya: ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, romanized: Ḥəzbawi Wäyanä Ḥarənnät Təgray
Left-wing Revolutionary democracy
Tigray nationalism
1975[3]
0 / 547

Other national parties[edit]

National parties without members of parliament as of 5 October 2020[4] include:

Other national parties
Name Native name Ideology Notes
Freedom and Equality Party Amharic: ነጻነትና እኩልነት ፓርቲ Moderate liberalism Established in 2019
All Ethiopian National Movement Amharic: የመላው ኢትዮጵያውያን ብሔራዊ ንቅናቄ N/A
All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement Amharic: መላ ኢትዮጵያ ሶሻሊስት ንቅናቄ Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Oldest communist party in Ethiopia. Member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces[5]
Balderas Party Amharic: ባልደራስ ፓርቲ Liberalism

Ethiopian nationalism

Founded by political activist Eskinder Nega in 2019
Alliance for Freedom and Democracy ? Self-determination Coalition of former separatist groups.
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዜጎች ለማኅበራዊ ፍትህ; ye-Ïtiyop'iya zēgochi le-mahiberawī fitih Social justice
Ethiopian nationalism
Created through the merger of 7 opposition parties.
Ethiopian Democratic League ? N/A Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy.
Ethiopian Democratic Party Amharic: ከኢትዮጵያዊያን ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ Liberal nationalism
Economic liberalism
Pan-Ethiopianism
Member of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice.
Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek) Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ አንድነት መድረክ Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Ethnic federalism
Officially a coalition of 5 parties.
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝባዊ አብዮታዊ ፓርቲ Non-ethnic federalism Former communist party.
Ethiopian Social Democratic Party Amharic: ኢትዮጵያ ማህበረ-ዴሞክራሲ ፌደራላዊ ፓርቲ Social democracy Former member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces.
Ginbot 7 ? N/A Political organisation.
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia ? Oromo self-determination Oromo militant party.
Kefagn Patriotic Front ? N/A Formed by soldiers from the army of Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Oromo Federalist Congress ? Formed in 2012 from merger of OPC with OFDM.[6]
Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice ? N/A Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy.
Sidama Liberation Front ? Sidama self-determination Sidama militant group.
Western Somali Democratic Party ? Somali nationalism Former separatist group.
Coalition of Ethiopian Federalist Forces Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራሊስት ኃይሎች ጥምረት Ethnic federalism
Revolutionary democracy
Political coalition.

Other regional parties[edit]

Regional parties
Name Native name Ideology Created Notes
All-Amhara People's Organization Amharic: yemelawi āmara hizibi dirijiti Minority politics 1993[7] Former member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces.
Afar Liberation Front ? Afar interests Former militant group turned political party.
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front Afar: Qafar Uguugumoh Demokrasiyyoh Inkiinoh Fooca Afar interests
Self-determination
Afar militant party.
Arena Tigray early 2000s[8]
Assimba Democratic Party Social democracy[9] Oct 2019[9] Irob based party[10]
Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ አርበኞች ግንባር N/A Rebel group formerly active in Eritrea.
Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front ? Ethiopian nationalism
Anti-Ethnic federalism
Democracy
Nuer tribalism
c. 1993[11] Part of the Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front.
Harari People's Democratic Party Amharic: የሐረሪ ሕዝብ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓረቲ Minority politics Harari minority party.
National Movement of Amhara Minority politics Jun 2018[12]
Ogaden National Liberation Front Somali: Jabhadda Wadaniga Xoreynta Ogaadeenya Somali nationalism Somali militant organisation.
Oromo Liberation Front Oromo: Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo Oromo nationalism
Socialism
Secularism
Dec 1973[13] Oromo armed movement and party.
Sheko and Mezenger People's Democratic Unity Organization Amharic: የሸኮና መዠንገር ህዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር Minority politics Sheko and Mezenger minority party.
Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition ? Minority politics A coalition from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region.
Tigray for Democracy & Justice Party[citation needed] ? Liberal democracy Tigrinyan opposition party against the TPLF.
Tigray Democratic Party Tigrinya: ትግራይ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ Dec 2019[14]

Defunct parties[edit]

Defunct parties
Name Native name Ideology Notes
Unity for Democracy and Justice ? Liberalism Merged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice.
Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement ? Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Federalism
Self-determination
Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Afar National Democratic Party Amharic: የአፋር ብሔራዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ Afar interests Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Amhara Democratic Party Amharic: አማራ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ Amhara interests Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Argoba Nationality Democratic Organization Amharic: የአርጎባ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲዊ ንቅናቄ Minority politics Argoba minority party.
Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front Amharic: የቤንሻንጉልና ጉሙዝ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲዊ አንድነት Minority politics Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Ethiopian Somali Democratic League ? Minority politics Somali ethnic party.
Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party Amharic: የሶማሌ ዴሞክራሲዊ ፓርቲ Democratic socialism Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Gambela People's Democratic Movement Amharic: የጋምቤላ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄ Minority politics Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Hareri National League Harari: ዚሐረሪ መሐዲያ ሊግ Harari interests Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Oromo Democratic Party ? Marxism
Democratic socialism
Oromo self-determination
Merged into the Prosperity Party.
Oromo People's Congress ? Minority politics Former Oromo ethnic party. Merged with OFDM in 2012, creating OFC.[6]
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement Oromo: Warraaqsa Federaalistii Uummata Oromoo Federalism 2005[15]–2012;[6] Oromo party. Merged with OPC to create OFC.
Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray ? Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Hoxhaism
Anti-revisionism
Semi-clandestine group within the TPLF.
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር Revolutionary democracy
Ethnic federalism
De facto predecessor to the Prosperity Party.
Abyotawit Seded Amharic: አብዮታዊ ሰደድ Communism Political organisation led by Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Union of Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Organizations ? Communism Early DERG-era organisation.
Echat ? Communism DERG-era predecessor to the Oromo Liberation Front.
Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Organization ? Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Early DERG-era organisation.
Waz League ? Communism
Marxism
Minor predecessor to the Workers Party of Ethiopia.
All Ethiopian Unity Party ? N/A Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy.
Commission for Organizing the Party of the Working People of Ethiopia Amharic: yaʼityoṗyā saretoʼadaroc̆ pārti ʼadarāj komišen Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Main predecessor of the Workers Party of Ethiopia.
Workers' Party of Ethiopia[1] Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሠራተኞች ፓርቲ Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Former ruling party.
Semayawi Party ? Liberalism Merged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice.
Coalition for Unity and Democracy Ge'ez : ቅንጅት ለአንድነት እና ዴሞክራሲ Ethiopian nationalism
Civic nationalism
Liberalism
Federalism
Populism
Former coalition.
Coalition of Ethiopian Democratic Forces ? Communism
Socialism
Formed by former arch-rivals MEISON and Ihapa.
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲዊ ኃይሎቸ ሕብረት Social democracy
Social liberalism
Former coalition.
Ethiopian Democratic Union ? Conservatism
Monarchism
Anti-communism
Helped form the Ethiopian Democratic Party.
Gambela People's Democratic Unity Party ? Nuer interests Formed due to mass displacement of Nuer people.
Gambela People's Liberation Movement ? Nuer interests
National liberation
Anti-communism
Former rebel group.
Horyaal Democratic Front ? Somali nationalism
Separatism
Former Gadabuursi clan paramilitary group.
Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front ? Somali nationalism
Issa interests
Gurgura interests
Former clan-based rebel group.

Notes[edit]

1.^ In 2022, a party of the same name sent in application for a registration license, it was denied by The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) in August of the same year.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ethiopian Politics - Election 2020". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  2. ^ "The EPRDF Officially Ends; The Prosperity Party Begins". Ezega News. 2019-12-26. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  3. ^ Berhe, Aregawi (2008). A Political History of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (1975-1991): Revolt, Ideology and Mobilisation in Ethiopia (PDF). Amsterdam. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2020-12-16. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Ethiopian Parlament". Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  5. ^ "United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) Member Organizations". 2010-01-05. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  6. ^ a b c "Bekele Gerba speaks!". Addis Standard. 2015-05-16. Archived from the original on 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  7. ^ Barder, Brian (1999-05-25). "Asrat Woldeyes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  8. ^ "News: Tigray interim admin CEO says Mekelle gets new mayor, urges civil servants to resume work and cautions door-to-door search for unlawful firearms begins today". Addis Standard. 2020-12-15. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. ^ a b "Assimba Democratic Party established in Tigray, border with Eritrea among top agenda". Borkena. 2019-10-03. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  10. ^ Tesfaye, Abel (2020-09-09). "Tigray's election can accelerate the region's democratic reforms". Ethiopia Insight. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  11. ^ EUPF (2014-10-25). "Response to articles appearing on Nyamilepedia on 3rd October 2014". Nyamilepedia. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  12. ^ "National Movement of Amhara party officially founded in Bahir Dar". Borkena. 2018-06-10. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  13. ^ "The Birth of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)". Gadaa. 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-09-01. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  14. ^ "የትግራይ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ መስራች ጉባኤ መግለጫ" [Tigray Democracy Party ...] (PDF). Tigray Democracy Party (in Tigrinya). 2019-12-14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  15. ^ Wiren, Robert (2005-04-04). "Bulcha Demeksa, Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM)". Les nouvelles d'Addis. Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  16. ^ Monitor, Ethiopian (2022-08-23). "NEBE Rejects Party Registration Request under 'Ethiopian Workers Party'". Ethiopian Monitor. Retrieved 2022-12-27.

External links[edit]