By RFPosted on 20-11-2019Modified on 20-11-2019 at 23:13

Voters from the predominantly rural province of "Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of the South" - representing 4 percent of the 105 million Ethiopians - went to the polls on Wednesday, 20 November. The challenge is the creation of a new Sidama State in the multinational set that is Ethiopia.

Wednesday, November 20, in the early hours of the day, long lines began to form in front of the polling stations . The operations proceeded in calm all day, according to the first reports of the observers of the civil society and the electoral authority (NEBE).

Some "minor" irregularities have been noted by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, but they do not seem to call into question the sincerity of the ballot. The first trends show a strong participation. Voters have obviously moved in droves.

The campaign was not balanced. There was none in the "no" camp when there were no more banners and posters in favor of Sidama State. This shows that there is still a problem.

[Reportage] Voting in Hawassa

20-11-2019 - By Vincent Dublange

We should know quickly the final results of the referendum. But observers are already expecting a large majority of Sidamas to have voted for the "shafeta", the traditional jar that features the "yes" on their ballot. Concretely, this will mean that a constitutional reform will now have to be launched at the federal level to ratify the entry into the Ethiopian federation of a new state, Sidama, in addition to the nine others that already exist.

► See also: Ethiopia: Sidamas "want to reconnect with their lost independence"

But the outcome of this referendum will also raise new questions. For example, it will be necessary to organize the capital Hawassa, which has a large community of non-Sidamas. And legislate also on the numerous minorities, living in the new state, their status, their integration into the administrative apparatus and the political game.

It will be a question of radically transforming this little piece of Ethiopia, trying to preserve civil peace, even as this immense country is going through a crisis which brings back the historical quarrels between the peoples who form the federation.

This is Pandora's box, because there are already a dozen nations or nationalities who have asked to do the same thing as the Sidamas. So that poses a problem of possible fragmentation of Ethiopia.

René Lefort, independent researcher, on the sidama referendum

20-11-2019 - By Léonard Vincent

    On the same subject

    Ethiopia: Sidamas "want to renew their lost independence"

    Ethiopia: Sidama referendum, train staff to avoid challenge

    Ethiopia: referendum for the autonomy of Sidama this Wednesday

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