Addis Ababa, 14 March 2015 (WIC) - As part of the upcoming election campaign, political parties in contention began officially taking part in debates on pertinent issues here yesterday.

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), The Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (MEDREK), Semayawi Party, New Generation Party (NGP) and Unity for Democracy and Justice Party debated over the topic ‘Multi-party Democracy and Human and Democratic Rights in Ethiopia’ at the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

In the 120 minute long debate, the representatives of each party debated passionately on the topic and presented the stance of their respective parties on the raised issues.

According to the opposition parties’ argument, EPRDF’s multiparty system would merely be a pretension manifesting pseudo democracy.

“For a multi-party system to really exist, several basic criteria need be in place. First, citizens should have opportunities to choose among two or more alternatives; election should take place where human and democratic rights are fully respected; there should be independent electoral execution body and others, an independent court, an electoral board and media are necessitating multi-party democracy to prevail,” said Dr. Merara Gudina, a representative of MEDREK.

New Generation Party President Asfaw Getachew on his part said that it is a multi-party politics not a multi-party democracy that exists in Ethiopia. “Liberal democracy better suits this country than Revolutionary democracy,’ he said.

“The EPRDF uses the so-called ‘multi-party system only as cosmetics to retain power. Party leaders and journalists are jailed, citizens are evicted discriminated on the basis of their language. How can one talk of democracy in the absence of rule of law?” asked Engineer Yilikal Getinet, Semayawi Party President.

The Unity for Democracy and Justice Party President Tigistu Awalu on his part said that it is unwise to confidently argue that human and democratic rights are respected in a country where thousands of journalists and human rights activists are jailed with tens of thousands exiled, and a controversial anti-terrorism law in vigour.

On the other hand, Minister of Office of Government Communication Affairs Redwan Husein, representing EPRDF said that development and democracy are the inseparable sides of the same coin for the EPRDF. It is a democracy that centres the ‘people’s rule’. It has been established on the consent of peoples, nations and nationalities in unison where unity and diversity feed each other, according to Redwan.

Refuting opposition political parties’ views, another EPRDF representative, Asmelash Woldesilassie said that over 75 political parties are registered and operate in Ethiopia which best demonstrates the practicality of multi party system in the country, adding that Ethiopia has an all-inclusive constitution that guarantees both human and democratic rights of citizens in a well-defined manner.

Opposition political parties complained to the journalists that the time allocated for them is too short to deal with the vast issues raised in the debate.

Agriculture, good governance, urban development, infrastructure, education and health facilities are among the topics to be debated in the next sessions of the ongoing debate. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, EBC, has scheduled one session of debates for each topic among five political parties. (EH)