COVID-19 and theWay to Authoritarian Rule in Ethiopia

Abstract

Military coups or fraud elections are no longer the only path to authoritarian regimes. Now, under the pretext of fighting the spread of the COVID-19, precautionary measures are used to extend the State’s control over the society and impose authoritarian rule in a smooth, invisible, and even accepted way. Ethiopia for example witnessed transition from a repressive regime to political openness and economic reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. With the global threat of the pandemic, authoritarian regime is thrust back into the scene. In order to highlight this setback on democratic transition in Ethiopia, the study draws an ethnic, economic, and religious map of the Ethiopian society, explores the process of political transition and economic reform under Abiy Ahmed rule, then analyzes the setback on democracy and economic reform under the threat of the COVID-19, and the menace of social cohesion on the stability of the country. The study argues that the ruling government have used the international health, economic, and security threat of the COVID-19 to justify setbacks on the democratization process.