It is possible that after 25 years of power, the ruling coalition will have to reconsider their role and their understanding of the population, and their relationship to the body politic.
This week, Ethiopia's prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared a six-month state of emergency, as well as hinting at electoral reform and potential engagement with the political opposition. Demonstrations have been ongoing for nearly a year. Until July, these were significant but sporadic, and largely concentrated in towns across the country's Oromiyya Regional State. Subsequent tensions around Gondar triggered a wave of protests across towns in the Amhara Region. Intensification in protests in both regions has followed.
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