Ethiopian Somali Democratic League
The Ethiopian Somali Democratic League ( abbreviation ESDL; German as " Ethiopian Somali Democratic League " or " Democratic League of the Ethiopian Somali ") was a political party in the Somali region of Ethiopia. It was formed in 1994 from the merger of ten or more parties of various Somali clans, which was initiated by the ruling EPRDF at the national level. In 1998, the ESDL united at the instigation of the EPRDF with parts of the Ogaden National Liberation Front in Somali People's Democratic Party.
History and foundation
The Tigray People's Liberation Front and led by her party EPRDF coalition that overthrew the Derg regime in Ethiopia in 1991, took steps to democratization and decentralization of the country. In the Somali region, which was formed with the reorganization of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia, then dozens of parties emerged on clan - based, which vied for power and influence. The EPRDF initially worked together with the Western Somali Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF ), two groupings on Ethiopian territory in the largest Somali clan - were anchored and had also fought against the Derg regime - the Ogadeni - Darod. The first elections in the region in 1992 she won the ONLF.
As early as 1991 tried some Somali in Addis Ababa, who rejected the alignment of the parties, clans, form a clan -wide political organization of the Ethiopian Somali. They came with the support of the Somali Deputy Minister in the Government of Ethiopia - Abdi Adan and Ahmed Shamsudiin - together, some of them formed a committee. However, their efforts failed due to the low willingness to compromise the ONLF.
In 1994, the ONLF -dominated / Ogadeni regional parliament, to wish to exercise the constitutional right of secession and to strive for independence of the Somali region. The EPRDF, which was designed in secret since 1992 strategies to weaken the separatist ONLF, then promoted the efforts to unite the non- Ogadeni opposition. On a three -day meeting in February 1994, which was held in an unused military camp in Hurso (26 km west of Dire Dawa in the Shinile zone) in the presence of Prime Minister Tamrat Layne, ten or more parties were joined by smaller clans to the new party ESDL. 1500 delegates agreed on the choice of party name and colors and unanimously confirmed Abdimajid Hussein (also: Abdul Majid Hussein ), the only Somali minister in the federal government and members of the Isaaq clan, as party chairman. First Secretary was Shamsudiin Ahmed, a member of the Gadabursi -Dir.
Composition
Among the parties who joined in the ESDL, belonged, according to a source eleven groups: the Somali Democratic Union Party or Democratic Uinited Party of the Hawiye in the south, the Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front, Gurgura Independence Front, Eastern Gabooye Democratic Organization, Eastern Ethiopian Somali League, Horiyal Democratic Front of Gadabursi, Social Democratic Alliance Organization, Somali subscription Democratic Union, the Shekhash People's Democratic Movement of Shekash, the Isaaq dominated by Ethiopian Somalis ' Democratic Movement and the Party of the Rer Barre. In other sources, the speech of ten or 13 parties.
This non - Ogadeni clan became the new regional partners of the EPRDF. Better than the Ogadeni " they understood the limitations proposed by Meles Zenawi democracy." Your common aversion to a predominance of Ogadeni let them move closer together and accept the support of the EPRDF. Formal Ogadeni also were involved in the ESDL.
In view of the approaching 1995 elections lacked the ESDL of preparation time and resources. The party sent a delegation to the neighboring country of Djibouti to win by Ethiopian and Somali living there other financial support. Here, around 30,000 U.S. dollars and a number of vehicles came together. She put in all districts each candidate with connections to local clans. Differences within the ONLF, a boycott of parts of the ONLF and a change of constituencies to the detriment of Ogadeni clan contributed to the electoral victory of the ESDL. She won 76 of 139 seats in the regional parliament and 15 of the 23 seats in the Somali region in the national parliament. ( According to other sources, she received even two thirds of the seats in the regional parliament and all seats in the national parliament or 75 regional and 23 of 25 national parliamentary seats. )
Reign and the end of
The first act of the new regional parliament was to select the 21 members of the new government. In filling these and other offices the ESDL had to take note that the EPRDF certain candidates 'preferred'. The ESDL regional government made Jijiga instead of the remote town of Gode in Ogadeni area to the new regional capital and took the provisional region 5 region known as definitely the name " Somali " (instead of " Ogadenia " what the previous parliamentary majority would have preferred). The regional administration has been professionalized and expanded, so teachers a qualification verification were reviewed and a number of " phantom teachers " shall be deleted from the payroll. Also new wells were dug in dry areas and in Jijiga founded a teacher training institute and a school for nurses. Large segments of the public, however, considered the influence of the EPRDF as an obstacle to the development of the Somali region and were convinced that the EPRDF could always make each regional government.
Within two years, led internal disputes between regional president Dahir Farah Eid and parts of the Party committee of a political crisis in the ESDL. By the end of 1997, the party had lost the support of the EPRDF as well as parts of the population. The EPRDF decided that the union of the ESDL with cooperating parts of the ONLF. For this merger went out in 1998, the Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP ), which has ruled since 2000 and stronger than the ESDL the EPRDF is under. The most representative of ESDL in the national parliament were not included in the SPDP.
Swell
- Somali
- Party in Ethiopia
- Past Party
- Regional party