Should Abiy Step Down?
Posted: 24 Jun 2025, 14:38
Not necessarily.
For the past several months, Abiy has been doing a great job, but recently, some officials have been making controversial statements that could shake his leadership. Taye Danda, for instance, claimed that Abiy expressed a desire to "eliminate Amhara." Such rhetoric is extremely dangerous.
That said, Abiy has made significant contributions to the country—achievements unmatched by previous governments. One of his greatest successes is the river restoration project, which has nearly eliminated pollution in the rivers. As mentioned earlier, these waterways were heavily contaminated since the EPRDF era, but now they are returning to their cleaner state from the Derg period. Undoubtedly, he has also cleaned and beautified the city like never before.
For the first time in our history, I’ve witnessed billions of birr being poured into infrastructure projects. Loaders, excavators, trucks, and all kinds of machinery are now a common sight in every zone of Addis Ababa. Today, even a trillion birr no longer seems like an unimaginable figure—if this trend continues, our national budget could soon reach 10 trillion.
These developments suggest good governance and even the potential to address long-standing issues. However, major challenges remain. Inflation is skyrocketing, food prices are rising at an unprecedented rate, and people are struggling with higher taxes, expensive food items, and increased transportation costs. I don’t have concrete evidence on whether wheat production has improved as Abiy claims, but if true, it would mean we’re on the right track—and I believe no obstacle is insurmountable.
But the real question is: Will Abiy allow free and fair elections? I doubt it. The people are exhausted, complaining of hunger and countless other problems. At this point, they hardly care about his projects.
Meanwhile, there’s growing criticism from his dismissed officials, opposition politicians, journalists, and activists. In my opinion, forcibly removing him from power—especially for the benefit of power-hungry rivals—could be disastrous. Instead of overthrowing him, what we need is reformation while these ongoing projects continue.
For the past several months, Abiy has been doing a great job, but recently, some officials have been making controversial statements that could shake his leadership. Taye Danda, for instance, claimed that Abiy expressed a desire to "eliminate Amhara." Such rhetoric is extremely dangerous.
That said, Abiy has made significant contributions to the country—achievements unmatched by previous governments. One of his greatest successes is the river restoration project, which has nearly eliminated pollution in the rivers. As mentioned earlier, these waterways were heavily contaminated since the EPRDF era, but now they are returning to their cleaner state from the Derg period. Undoubtedly, he has also cleaned and beautified the city like never before.
For the first time in our history, I’ve witnessed billions of birr being poured into infrastructure projects. Loaders, excavators, trucks, and all kinds of machinery are now a common sight in every zone of Addis Ababa. Today, even a trillion birr no longer seems like an unimaginable figure—if this trend continues, our national budget could soon reach 10 trillion.
These developments suggest good governance and even the potential to address long-standing issues. However, major challenges remain. Inflation is skyrocketing, food prices are rising at an unprecedented rate, and people are struggling with higher taxes, expensive food items, and increased transportation costs. I don’t have concrete evidence on whether wheat production has improved as Abiy claims, but if true, it would mean we’re on the right track—and I believe no obstacle is insurmountable.
But the real question is: Will Abiy allow free and fair elections? I doubt it. The people are exhausted, complaining of hunger and countless other problems. At this point, they hardly care about his projects.
Meanwhile, there’s growing criticism from his dismissed officials, opposition politicians, journalists, and activists. In my opinion, forcibly removing him from power—especially for the benefit of power-hungry rivals—could be disastrous. Instead of overthrowing him, what we need is reformation while these ongoing projects continue.
