There has been much cheering and some jeering for the new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who pledged unity and civil rights for his country after assuming the office.
But as the dust began to settle, there are problems to solve and challenges to surmount. Prominent political leaders said the actions of the prime minister will decide if he is worth his salt.
“I remain cautiously optimistic,” Merera Gudina, the opposition leader who only recently got out of prison, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.
After swearing in, the new Prime Minister Abiy gave a speech which many described as “motivational.”
Abiy became the new prime minister, replacing the former premier Hailemariam Desalegn who resigned in mid-February saying he should give way to reform.
Hailed from the Oromia, the largest and most populous region in Ethiopia where most of the anti-government protests have been held, Abiy is considered by people from both within and outside the ruling party as a unifying force.
He promised unity, employment to the youth, a level playing field for “competing” political parties, civil rights and many more in addition to having openly apologized for killing of rights activists and young protesters.
Ethiopia has been hit by political turmoil since 2015 as mostly young protesters demand economic justice and political freedoms, forcing the government to do a soul-searching.
Government later admitted much of the political turmoil in the country was owing to lack of good governance and inability of the economic growth to trickle down.
Gudina observed that the speech given by the new prime minister deserved attention and was one that gives hope to the people.
“But when it came to practical thinking, it remains a question whether the ruling EPRDF [Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front] would succumb to the need for change as demanded by millions of young people in the country,” he said.
“Many times in the past, EPRDF went back on its word; and I have no confidence it will honor its promise this time around.
“It is not the ability of the new prime minister I am questioning; I am only doubting if EPRDF people would allow themselves to be led by a man who laid out a vision not so common to his party,” he added.
Another prominent opposition politician Tigistu Awelu of Andinet (Unity) party told Anadolu Agency that “the speech is motivational and can give hope back to the nation.”
“We call on EPRDF to institutionalize what have been contained in that inaugural speech,” he said.
Like Merera, Awelu also has some reservations.
“EPRDF works as a team. What can this man do alone? If ours was a presidential system, it would be up to the new leader to keep his campaign promises or not. Here it is a different scenario. He should get the support of the party’s ranks in order to achieve all those promises,” Awelu said.
In a statement issued late on Monday -- the day the new Ethiopian prime minister took the oath of office -- the African Union Commission’s chairman congratulated Abiy and said: “Throughout their long and proud history, the Ethiopian people have shown their ability to overcome challenges and unite in the pursuit of the higher interest of their country."
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairman, said he was convinced " […] under the leadership of the new Prime Minister, Ethiopia will successfully meet the tasks at hand and further consolidate the remarkable social-economic progress it has made over the past two decades."
