Opposition Party Sees Opening as Ethiopian Government Vows Changes

 (Bloomberg) --
By Nizar Manek, 8 February 2018

  • Group to organize in restive region before vote due by 2020
  • African nation releasing detainees after years of protests

An Ethiopian opposition party whose chairman was freed after more than a year in prison plans to step up its activity as the Horn of Africa nation’s government pledges greater openness in the wake of mass protests.
The Oromo Federalist Congress will open an initial 20 offices in the Oromia region and “start to organize our people,” Chairman Merera Gudina said in an interview in the capital, Addis Ababa. That could make it a competitor to the ruling coalition’s regional sub-party in elections due by 2020 in a central region that’s been roiled by more than two years of often fatal demonstrations.
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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-08/opposition-party-sees-opening-as-ethiopia-government-vows-reform