List of political parties in Ethiopia
This article lists political parties in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a multi-party parliament. The legislature was mostly dominated by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, until it was succeeded by the Prosperity Party in December 2019. The latest general election would have taken place in August 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The most recent general election took place in 2021.
List
Parliamentary parties
| Party | Political positions | Ideology | Created | House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prosperity Party Amharic: ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, romanized: Bilit͟s’igina Paritī Oromo: Paartii Badhaadhiinaa Somali: Xisbiga Barwaaqo |
Centre | 2019[2] | 410 / 547
| ||
| National Movement of Amhara Amharic: የአማራ ብሔራዊ ንቅናቄ, romanized: Ye’āmara Biḥērawī Nik’inak’ē |
Centre-right to right-wing |
2018 | 5 / 547
| ||
| Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዜጎች ለማህበራዊ ፍትህ, romanized: Ye-Ïtiyop'iya Zēgochi Le-mahiberawī Fitih |
Centre | 2019 | 4 / 547
| ||
| Gedeo People's Democratic Party |
|
1992 | 2 / 547
| ||
| Tigray People's Liberation Front Tigrinya: ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, romanized: Ḥəzbawi Wäyanä Ḥarənnät Təgray |
Left-wing |
|
1975[3] | 0 / 547
| |
Other national parties
National parties without members of parliament as of 5 October 2020[4] include:
| Name | Native name | Ideology | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom and Equality Party | Amharic: ነጻነትና እኩልነት ፓርቲ | Moderate liberalism | Established in 2019 |
| All Ethiopian National Movement | Amharic: የመላው ኢትዮጵያውያን ብሔራዊ ንቅናቄ | N/A | |
| All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement | Amharic: መላ ኢትዮጵያ ሶሻሊስት ንቅናቄ | Oldest communist party in Ethiopia. Member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces[5] | |
| Balderas Party | Amharic: ባልደራስ ፓርቲ | Founded by political activist Eskinder Nega in 2019 | |
| Alliance for Freedom and Democracy | ? | Self-determination | Coalition of former separatist groups. |
| Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዜጎች ለማኅበራዊ ፍትህ; ye-Ïtiyop'iya zēgochi le-mahiberawī fitih | Created through the merger of 7 opposition parties. | |
| Ethiopian Democratic League | ? | N/A | Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. |
| Ethiopian Democratic Party | Amharic: ከኢትዮጵያዊያን ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ | Member of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. | |
| Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek) | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ አንድነት መድረክ | Officially a coalition of 5 parties. | |
| Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝባዊ አብዮታዊ ፓርቲ | Non-ethnic federalism | Former communist party. |
| Ethiopian Social Democratic Party | Amharic: ኢትዮጵያ ማህበረ-ዴሞክራሲ ፌደራላዊ ፓርቲ | Social democracy | Former member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces. |
| Ginbot 7 | ? | N/A | Political organisation. |
| Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia | ? | Oromo self-determination | Oromo militant party. |
| Kefagn Patriotic Front | ? | N/A | Formed by soldiers from the army of Mengistu Haile Mariam. |
| Oromo Federalist Congress | ? | Formed in 2012 from merger of OPC with OFDM.[6] | |
| Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice | ? | N/A | Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. |
| Sidama Liberation Front | ? | Sidama self-determination | Sidama militant group. |
| Western Somali Democratic Party | ? | Somali nationalism | Former separatist group. |
| Coalition of Ethiopian Federalist Forces | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራሊስት ኃይሎች ጥምረት | Political coalition. |
Other regional parties
| Name | Native name | Ideology | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Amhara People's Organization | Amharic: የመላው አማራ ሕዝብ ድርጅት | Minority politics | 1993[7] | Former member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces. |
| Afar Liberation Front | ? | Afar interests | Former militant group turned political party. | |
| Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front | Afar: Qafar Uguugumoh Demokrasiyyoh Inkiinoh Fooca | Afar self-determination | Afar militant party. | |
| Arena Tigray | early 2000s[8] | |||
| Assimba Democratic Party | Social democracy[9] | Oct 2019[9] | Irob based party[10] | |
| Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ አርበኞች ግንባር | N/A | Rebel group formerly active in Eritrea. | |
| Ethiopian Unity Patriots Front | ? | c. 1993[11] | Part of the Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front. | |
| Harari People's Democratic Party | Amharic: የሐረሪ ሕዝብ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓረቲ | Minority politics | Harari minority party. | |
| National Movement of Amhara | Minority politics | Jun 2018[12] | ||
| Ogaden National Liberation Front | Somali: Jabhadda Wadaniga Xoreynta Ogaadeenya | Somali nationalism | Somali militant organisation. | |
| Oromo Liberation Front | Oromo: Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo | Dec 1973[13] | Oromo armed movement and party. | |
| Sheko and Mezenger People's Democratic Unity Organization | Amharic: የሸኮና መዠንገር ህዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር | Minority politics | Sheko and Mezenger minority party. | |
| Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Coalition | ? | Minority politics | A coalition from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. | |
| Tigray Democratic Solidarity | Tigrinya: ዲሞክራስያዊ ስምረት ትግራይ | Liberalism | May 2025[14] | Tigrayan opposition party against the TPLF. |
| Tigray Democratic Party | Tigrinya: ትግራይ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ | Dec 2019[15] |
Defunct parties
| Name | Native name | Ideology | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity for Democracy and Justice | ? | Liberalism | Merged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. |
| Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement | ? | Merged into the Prosperity Party. | |
| Afar National Democratic Party | Amharic: የአፋር ብሔራዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ | Afar interests | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Amhara Democratic Party | Amharic: አማራ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ | Amhara interests | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Argoba Nationality Democratic Organization | Amharic: የአርጎባ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄ | Minority politics | Argoba minority party. |
| Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front | Amharic: የቤንሻንጉልና ጉሙዝ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲዊ አንድነት | Minority politics | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Ethiopian Somali Democratic League | ? | Minority politics | Somali ethnic party. |
| Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party | Amharic: የሶማሌ ዴሞክራሲዊ ፓርቲ | Democratic socialism | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Gambela People's Democratic Movement | Amharic: የጋምቤላ ሕዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ንቅናቄ | Minority politics | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Hareri National League | Harari: ዚሐረሪ መሐዲያ ሊግ | Harari interests | Merged into the Prosperity Party. |
| Oromo Democratic Party | ? | Merged into the Prosperity Party. | |
| Oromo People's Congress | ? | Minority politics | Former Oromo ethnic party. Merged with OFDM in 2012, creating OFC.[6] |
| Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement | Oromo: Warraaqsa Federaalistii Uummata Oromoo | Federalism | 2005[16]–2012;[6] Oromo party. Merged with OPC to create OFC. |
| Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray | ? | Semi-clandestine group within the TPLF. | |
| Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር | De facto predecessor to the Prosperity Party. | |
| Abyotawit Seded | Amharic: አብዮታዊ ሰደድ | Communism | Political organisation led by Mengistu Haile Mariam. |
| Union of Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Organizations | ? | Communism | Early DERG-era organisation. |
| Echat | ? | Communism | DERG-era predecessor to the Oromo Liberation Front. |
| Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Organization | ? | Early DERG-era organisation. | |
| Waz League | ? | Minor predecessor to the Workers Party of Ethiopia. | |
| All Ethiopian Unity Party | ? | N/A | Former member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. |
| Commission for Organizing the Party of the Working People of Ethiopia | Amharic: yaʼityoṗyā saretoʼadaroc̆ pārti ʼadarāj komišen | Main predecessor of the Workers Party of Ethiopia. | |
| Workers' Party of Ethiopia[1] | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሠራተኞች ፓርቲ | Former ruling party. | |
| Semayawi Party | ? | Liberalism | Merged into Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice. |
| Coalition for Unity and Democracy | Amharic : ቅንጅት ለአንድነት እና ዴሞክራሲ | Former coalition. | |
| Coalition of Ethiopian Democratic Forces | ? | Formed by former arch-rivals MEISON and Ihapa. | |
| United Ethiopian Democratic Forces | Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲዊ ኃይሎቸ ሕብረት | Former coalition. | |
| Ethiopian Democratic Union | ? | Helped form the Ethiopian Democratic Party. | |
| Gambela People's Democratic Unity Party | ? | Nuer interests | Formed due to mass displacement of Nuer people. |
| Gambela People's Liberation Movement | ? |
|
Former rebel group. |
| Horyaal Democratic Front | ? | Former Gadabuursi clan paramilitary group. | |
| Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front | ? |
|
Former clan-based rebel group. |
Notes
- 1.^ In 2022, a party of the same name sent in application for a registration license, it was denied by The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) in August of the same year.[17]
References
- ^ "Ethiopian Politics - Election 2020". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "The EPRDF Officially Ends; The Prosperity Party Begins". Ezega News. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Berhe, Aregawi (2008). A Political History of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (1975-1991): Revolt, Ideology and Mobilisation in Ethiopia (PDF). Amsterdam: The Horn of Africa Research and Knowledge Exchange Platform: HAREP. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ "Ethiopian Parlament". Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) Member Organizations". 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Bekele Gerba speaks!". Addis Standard. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Barder, Brian (25 May 1999). "Asrat Woldeyes". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "News: Tigray interim admin CEO says Mekelle gets new mayor, urges civil servants to resume work and cautions door-to-door search for unlawful firearms begins today". Addis Standard. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b "Assimba Democratic Party established in Tigray, border with Eritrea among top agenda". Borkena. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Tesfaye, Abel (9 September 2020). "Tigray's election can accelerate the region's democratic reforms". Ethiopia Insight. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ EUPF (25 October 2014). "Response to articles appearing on Nyamilepedia on 3rd October 2014". Nyamilepedia. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "National Movement of Amhara party officially founded in Bahir Dar". Borkena. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "The Birth of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)". Gadaa. 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ እዋናዊ መግለፂ ውድብ ዴሞክራስያዊ ስምረት ትግራይ (ስምረት), Tigray Democratic Solidarity (Simret) Facebook, 28 May 2025, retrieved 13 March 2026
- ^ "የትግራይ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ፓርቲ መስራች ጉባኤ መግለጫ" [Tigray Democracy Party ...] (PDF). Tigray Democracy Party (in Tigrinya). 14 December 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ Wiren, Robert (4 April 2005). "Bulcha Demeksa, Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM)". Les nouvelles d'Addis. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Monitor, Ethiopian (23 August 2022). "NEBE Rejects Party Registration Request under 'Ethiopian Workers Party'". Ethiopian Monitor. Retrieved 27 December 2022.