A former political prisoner Birtukan Mideksa has been appointed chair of Ethiopia’s electoral board.
She is expected to oversee Ethiopia’s first parliamentary election since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018, pledging to end decades of authoritarian rule.
Madam Mideksa, 47, who went into exile in the US, was recommended for the electoral commission chairperson post by the new premier of Ethiopia who described her as someone who would “never surrender, even to the government”.
She is a lawyer, judge and politician.
In 2001, she contested the parliamentary election as an independent candidate, but lost to the candidate of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
She conceded at the time that her defeat was due to her “limited popularity” rather than rigging.”
In 2006, she was among a large number of detainees – including current Ethiopian Human Rights Commission chairman Daniel Bekele – who were charged with various offences, including treason.
By Melvin Tarlue