US Embassy in Ethiopia slams ‘baseless’ asserts of US role in Prime Minister Abiy’s selection processes

Dr. Abiy ’s Ahmed has been elected as chairman of the ruling party on March 27, 2018. During the EPDRF 11th Congress, PM Abiy Ahmed got 99% of the vote of EPDRF. The PM has been doing great since he became PM and we believe that’s the reason why he got more support also within the TPLF itself. We don’t know how America made the retired Tigrayan official to vote for the PM. But at a conference held by Mekele University over the weekend, Sebhat Nega, one of the retired Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said that he is so sure about the US government’s support for the PM’s election. To the contrary, US Embassy spokesman in Addis Ababa, Nicholas Barnett said “I want to be perfectly clear that any claims of U.S. involvement in the selection process of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia are completely baseless,” speaking to VOA Horn of Africa Service. He said the U.S believes both in theory and practice in respecting Ethiopia’s sovereignty and the right of individuals to vote for their own leaders. “We see Prime Minister Abiy’s election as chairman of EPRDF as a reflection of people’s interest for reform, representative political system, and participative democracy. We certainly support the Prime Minister’s reform agenda. But we had no role to play in his election,”. In addition, Sebhat said he had “no doubt” that the US government was involved on PM Abiy’s election but he didn’t offer any evidence.