Ethiopian economic liberalisation threatened by looming crisis

The process of economic liberalisation in Ethiopia risks grinding to a halt as postponement of elections raises the prospect of a constitutional crisis.
The elections, which were set for August, were postponed at the end of March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The constitution “does not seem to have envisaged the possibility of such an emergency during an election year,” says Zemelak Ayele, a constitutional lawyer in Addis Ababa.
No target date for the elections was given.
“The issue of how the country will be governed in the interim period is a question that needs a clear answer,” says Ayele.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken partial steps to liberalise the country’s state-directed economy. Reforms include planned new licences for mobile network operators and the sale of a stake in Ethio Telecom.
The continuation of the current weak government, by definition unstable, is the best hope for the continuation of reform, says Mehari Taddele Maru, a strategic adviser on African affairs in Addis Ababa.

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