Politics | The Reporter Ethiopia English

| 28 December 2019

Rebranding afoot

Formerly regarded as the most abusive security organ of the government, The National Intelligence and Security Service of Ethiopia (NISS) seems adamant now about rebranding and restructuring itself into an accountable and impartial professional intelligence institution, The Reporter has learnt.

| 28 December 2019

Parliament approves USD 4 bln natural gas pipeline deal

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) has approved an agreement that was signed between the Government of Ethiopia and Djibouti, to install a cross-border pipeline in order to transport natural gas.

| 28 December 2019

Multipolarity emerges as new media feature

Despite the fact that the majority of reporting by the media in Ethiopia is about politics, the development of multipolar coverage is identified as one of the new features of the country’s media.

| 28 December 2019

EDP urges to postpone upcoming election

The National Council of the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), which recently was in a legal battle with its former chairman and other members of the party and henceforth recognized as the legal representative of the party by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has urged for the postponement of the upcoming general election by at least two years.

| 23 December 2019

UNDP makes USD 9m procurement for 2020 polls

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has made a purchase of various equipment and materials and printing services for the 2020 Ethiopian Election to the tune of USD nine million, it was learnt. The Chairperson of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) signed the supply agreements on December 18, 2019, with a Dubai based company specifying the items and the timeframe for the purchase.

| 21 December 2019

Qatar GCC blockade: Blessing in disguise?

It has been years now since the Saudi Arabia led Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) imposed a blockade on Qatar—another gulf nation—resulting in the closure of the only border the smaller state has with the latter. Even Saudi Arabia once reportedly expressed intentions to dig waterways by this border effectively making Qatar an island.

| 21 December 2019

MPs urge for more scrutiny over sale of SoEs

A new draft proclamation intending to amend the existing privatization laws has been tabled before the House of People’s Representatives (HPR), with MPs suggesting further scrutiny to identify the advantages and disadvantages of transferring public enterprises and urged to keep some of the public enterprises under the government, based on their respective importance for public advantages.

| 21 December 2019

Draft excise bill to tax imported cars in Ethiopia

In a bid to raise its tax revenue, the Ethiopian Government has tabled a draft excise tax proclamation to the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) that would see a sharp rise in taxation of second-hand imported vehicles, which could go as high as 500 percent.

| 21 December 2019

FEP clarifies position, vies to address marginalized groups

Freedom and Equality Party (FEP), which was recently recognized and registered as a national party by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), has clarified its political orientation to the media and stated that the party is established to introduce fresh thinking to the existing political culture, which is mainly characterized by the politics of conspiracy and holding back the other.

| 14 December 2019

Hate speech: the Achilles heel of Ethiopia

The recent events that have been taking place in Ethiopia shine a bright light on hate speech. The role of hate speech has, for some time, been hugely ignored in its contribution to the recent ethnic clashes that took place in different parts of the country.