the scene

So from a foreigner’s point of view, here’s what I can tell you about the politics and the current scene in Ethiopia right now.

1. Meles the Assumer. He assumes he’s still in power by assuming he won the election thereby assuming to know about democracy. Inherent in democracy is the voice of the people and this is something Meles has chosen to ignore. The people do not accept Meles as their leader and you can feel it walking down the street.

2. The CUD aka Kinijit. Most of the time, the CUD are described as the opposition however given what the EU observers have said about the electoral process, the CUD are actually supposed to be the ruling party. The CUD has been very smart and timely in strategizing their next moves. As of Monday, they have asked that people honk from 8 to 830 a.m. to signal to the visiting African Union delegates that the people do not consider Meles a legitimate leader and neither should the AU. Following the Muslim Ramadan (the beginning of November), there will be a five day strike.

Questions remain: What will happen after the strike? How will Meles react - with reason or with guns? Will the CUD gain power? What will this mean for the country? Is this the revolution the people have been waiting for?