The Mandate the People Entrusted to Ethiopia’s New Medemer Government

Addis Ababa, October 5, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s Seventh General Election was more than a contest for political power. It was a national expression of citizens’ determination to consolidate democratic rule, safeguard peace and place the country’s development on a durable course.

More than 54 million Ethiopians participated in the election, casting their ballots despite campaigns intended to discourage registration and voting, as well as attempts to disrupt the electoral process through intimidation, violence and other acts of sabotage.

By turning out in large numbers, citizens demonstrated that the ballot box—not coercion, violence or political obstruction—is the legitimate path to political authority.

Yet the voters entrusted the country’s political parties with more than their votes.

They entrusted them with a responsibility.

That responsibility is now passing directly to the new Medemer Government as it formally begins its journey today.

At the official announcement of the election results, President Taye Atske-Selassie underscored the deeper meaning of democratic elections, noting that their greatest benefit to a country is the lasting development and stability they can produce.

Every vote, he emphasized, represents not only a major responsibility entrusted by citizens, but also a mark of honour earned through public service.

That trust places a clear obligation on those who have received the people’s mandate: to translate political legitimacy into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.

The message delivered through the ballot was therefore straightforward. The government emerging from the election must make lasting peace, development, growth and prosperity central to its work, while remaining accountable to the citizens whose votes gave it authority.

The election also delivered a firm democratic message to forces seeking political power outside the electoral process. Ethiopia’s citizens demonstrated that they will not surrender their democratic rights because of intimidation or attempts to disrupt the exercise of their constitutional choice.

Their participation affirmed that political differences must ultimately be settled through democratic institutions, lawful competition and the will of the people.

President Taye similarly warned that forces unwilling to operate within the democratic and legal framework risk becoming obstacles to Ethiopia’s progress rather than contributors to its future.

Taken together, the election conveyed two fundamental messages. First, the political force entrusted with forming government bears the primary responsibility for delivering peace, development and prosperity. Second, attempts to obtain political power outside the democratic process have no legitimate substitute for the authority conferred by citizens through their votes.

For the new Medemer Government, therefore, today is not simply the beginning of another term in office. It is the beginning of the fulfilment of a public trust.

That trust demands policies that expand citizens’ opportunities and welfare, institutions that serve rather than burden the public, and officials prepared to turn political commitments into measurable results. It demands a government capable of carrying the hopes expressed at the ballot box into the everyday realities of Ethiopia’s citizens.

The people have delivered their mandate.

The new Medemer Government now begins the harder task: to earn that trust through service, peace, development and results.