Following the election on 2 April 2018 (by
the EPRDF) of Dr Abiy Ahmed as Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, there was massive,
country-wide popular support for him and euphoria for social change. Substantial
changes are made to cabinet composition. New commissions and agencies are
established to harness smooth transition to genuine democracy. Political
prisoners are released and the infamous Maekelawi jail is turned in to a
museum. The secretive imperial palace (considered by the many as Death Valley,
as many are killed and buried there by the Imperial and Derg regimes) is
renovated and is made open for public visit. All types of media are set free
and free speech is made part of public reality. Successful diplomatic
initiatives are undertaken with neighbouring countries which mainly contributed
to the award of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 to Dr Abiy.
