Opposition concerned over new law

Opposition parties in Ethiopia have expressed concern over a new law allowing emergency intervention in regional affairs by the federal government. They say the law will place too much power in the hands of the ruling coalition government, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). Member of parliament Dr Beyene Petros, who heads the Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy (CAFPDE), argued it could mean the government dissolving regional authorities at will. "This is a roundabout way of breaking up the federal make-up of this country," he said. "We believe this is several steps backward and is centralising power. There is serious concern that this new law will allow the government to control and dominate the politics and resources of the country," he told IRIN. Hailu Araya, vice-president of the United Ethiopian Democratic Party (UEDP), said he was not opposed to emergency intervention powers but was concerned they might be abused. "This power could be used by the authorities to interfere in all kinds of areas they should not be involved in," he told IRIN. The new law, which was agreed in parliament earlier this month, allows intervention in regional states when the national constitution is at stake. The government argues it will help in tackling human rights abuses like a massacre in Tepi, southwestern Ethiopia, last year when at least 128 people were killed. State media said that the new law "would also enable the federal government to discharge its constitutional responsibilities efficiently". But Hailu Shawel, president of the All-Ethiopian Union Party (AEUP), said that newly-achieved regional independence would be seriously undermined. "This is another method of centralising control and I do not believe the argument that it is done to prevent abuses of human rights," Hailu noted. The concern comes as opposition groups prepare to hold an all-party conference in Washington DC this weekend aimed at unifying the country’s fragmented opposition. An estimated 19 opposition groups, based both in Ethiopia and outside, are expected to attend, while others claim they have not been allowed to participate.