Commissioners for National Dialogue Commission to be Selected by the Public
ADDIS ABABA – The public will directly elect Commissioners of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission that will facilitate discussion about opinions and disagreements on the most fundamental national issues, the house of Parliament announced on Thursday.
The announcement came a day after the house of people’s representatives ratified the commission establishment proclamation 1265/2021.
The commission, which will be accountable to the parliament, will have 11 commissioners as members as well as chief and deputy chief commissioners.
The eleven commissioners will directly be selected by the general public, said Etsegenet Mengistu, Chairperson of the parliament’s Legal, Justice and Democracy Affairs Standing Committee on Thursday.
The house has set up an office to collect names of candidates for commissioner positions, Etsegenet added.
As per the proclamation, the requirements to be a commissioner are having Ethiopian nationality; being not a member of any political party; and having not been convicted of committing any serious crime, among others.
The 11-members of the commission will each have a three year term of office, the Chairperson indicated.
The commission’s duties and responsibilities will, among others, be to facilitate consultation between the various segments of the society; and identify the root causes of the difference on fundamental national issues, as per the proclamation.
They will also plan to implement the results of the consultations; conduct deliberations to improve the relationship among the different segments of the population as well as between the public and the government; and create a conducive environment for the building of a democratic system, it states.
