Oromo People's Congress

The Oromo People's Congress ( OPC abbreviated; Oromo: KUO; Amharic የኦሮሞ ብሔራዊ ኮንግረንስ Yeh - Oromo Biherawi Kongränəs; until 2001 Oromo National Congress ONC, German Oromo National Congress ) is a political party in Ethiopia.

It is one of the largest political parties in the country. The OPC was founded in April 1996 under the name Oromo National Congress of Dr. Merera Gudina. This is also the party chairman.

Election results

Up to the Ethiopian national elections in May 2005, the Oromo National Congress had no plans an electoral base outside the home region of the party leader Merera Gudina - the Ambo Woreda in Oromia - build. In this election, when the party was still a member of the Alliance Party UEDF under their own name (which also won 52 of the 527 seats in the People's House of Representatives ), the party 42 seats in the federal parliament and 135 seats won alone in the regional parliament of Oromia.

Nevertheless, the party registration of the National Electoral Commission of Ethiopia was awarded allegedly previously reached a marginal splinter group. The OPC accused the Election Commission, they try to stir up confusion among voters and undermine the party ahead of parliamentary elections in May 2005. The party was thus forced to convert to change their name in Oromo People's Congress before the elections.

Current policy

The leadership of the OPC was one of the most influential founding members of the Forum for Democratic Dialogue ( Medrek ). The establishment of this forum was agreed on 17 June 2007.

In January 2009, the OPC was a political coalition with one of the Federalist Democratic Movement of the Oromo. To this end, a joint press release was einberaumt by both parties.

The OPC complained in a press release on March 5, 2009, the harassment of its members by the ruling Ethiopian People 's Revolutionary Democratic Front of the ( EPRDF ). The EPRDF turned during the previous weeks, three different forms of harassment on: Sun, said to have been beaten severely by the local police and even politicians of the woredas in the Woreda Midakaegn in February of the same year two teachers. In addition, security personnel should circled on March 4, a secondary school in Gedo, shot on the students and have at least three of them wounded, one of which later died in hospital.