ADDIS ABABA — Before unemployed laborer Ayalew Wedajo voted in Monday’s Ethiopian election, he prayed for the soul of his eldest son Getinet, killed in a pro-democracy demonstration 16 years ago.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has billed the poll as Ethiopia’s “first attempt at free and fair elections”.
Rigging and repression marred most previous votes – except in 2005, when the opposition swept the capital and won an unprecedented 147 out of 547 parliamentary seats.
But then a crackdown on protests over disputed results killed hundreds – including Getinet – and tens of thousands of people were arrested. Some opposition legislators boycotted parliament in protest.
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Keep on reading: A family’s tragic history mirrors Ethiopia’s struggle for freedom