A Tale of Two Elections

The first act of the political edition of the fifth national election has come to a close but it is far from over.

The final verdict is yet to be declared by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and that process is scheduled to take a few more days. But the break does to deter us from exchanging views on the virtues and vices of secret ballots in general without stepping on the forbidden thresholds of speculation around the temporary results. We can exchange experiences of other countries which have recently conducted elections.

The UK election procedure may be a bit farfetched to replicate but still there is quite a lot to be learned from it. Take the debates between the party leaders, for instance. They are focused on the policy directions the parties believe the people want them to head to.

The pros and cons of the debatable issues are evaluated, considering their implications on other countries in general and EU member countries in particular. At the end of the debates, which can last as long as the opposing party leaders come to the point of exhaustion, the moderator requests the audience to give their opinions by pressing buttons from the table or desk in front of them. The percentage is automatically shown on the massive bulletin board, a colourful screen where the whole world can see.

That gives more information to help the voters in making up their minds, nothing more. It is always up to the individual to take the decision as to which party he wants to cast his ballot for. It cannot be any more democratic, open, fair and satisfying. That may not be too far away from us.

Who knows?

In almost every debate between rival parties, there are certain issues which attract public attention, ranging from rationality in public health expenses to problems of integration with migrants. But there has been nothing more important than the issues of unemployment and inflation.

In other cases, however, the question of peace and security becomes the priority, depending on the issues deemed to be critical in the eyes of the leaders. This issue is referred to and hammered most in war torn countries. But the devil is always in the details. Some political leaders try to fool others and fool themselves, claiming that there is peace and tranquillity in their respective countries, simply because the shooting of bullets is heard only when they shoot to kill and do so with impunity.

Facts on the ground, however, speak for themselves. Main streets as well as paths are deserted and abandoned even while the leaders speak about the prevalence of peace and tranquillity with an air of assertion and complacency. They never mention how much innocent folks are scared to hit the road alone or even in company.

If you want to call that anything but fear you can test your gut by just taking a walk as early as 9 or 10 o’clock in the evening, subject to the prevalence of street lights which could go out at any time for reasons even beyond the comprehension of the energy minister, Almayehu Tegenu, who seems to take power interruptions for granted.

It is the same with water supply systems and road construction projects. Much as they are needed by everybody using them any time, they seem to collaborate in having interruption times as well.

Road construction activity must be suspended for more than one or two reasons. Either the City Hall incumbents have not yet settled accounts with claimants of property to be demolished, or have to wait for either the telecommunications or the water and sewerage authorities to finish their projects; or the Light Rail Transit (LRT) needs some more time to make a couple of adjustments on the design. The list is longer.

Coming back to the issue of voting manually, we find that secret ballot share advantages and disadvantages inherently. Voters want to be free while they make their preference to avoid any kind of influence.

Once they are done with that brief moment, the fate of their ballots falls in the hands of other genuine hands that give value to their conscience or others who could manipulate or rig the ballots. The uniformed citizens throw everything into the hands of their Creator. Sometimes it is the powers that be, or those who are accountable that play God and tamper with the ballots they have before them.

Of course, this is just a hypothesis. These thoughts cannot be thrown out for public scrutiny until they are proven right or wrong.

Incidentally, I have met many people wondering about the hilarious irony of the Chairman of NEBE’s extravagant gratitude, sprinkled left and right, even before curtain call!

By the way, even if the opposition parties have not secured the votes they may have expected, their resilience and commitment to do everything they could, to fight the battle peacefully until the end, is a sign of encouragement and not a disgrace. This momentum and the spirit to stand up for their cause should continue till they are able to come to grips and fight in unison until they secure the victory. Their next agenda is expected to be clearing the ground for laying the foundation of a united front of competition.


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