Ethiopia’s ruling party , Prosperity Party, claims it secured 1.5 billion birr through fundraising. It says it is donating 100 million birr to the fight against COVID 19
borkena
March 14, 2020
Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party had a fundraising event on Saturday at the Millennium Hall in the capital Addis Ababa.
The Party disclosed that it had raised over 1.5 billion Ethiopian Birr. 1.3 billion birr was donated in cash. The remaining is a pledge, according to a source close to the Party.
The Party framed the event at the Millenium Hall as a “thanksgiving and fundraising program.” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, his cabinet members, heads of regional states, Prosperity Party leaders, and business people were in attendance at the event, according to the Fana Broadcasting (FBC) report.
The Thanksgiving part is intended to appreciate those who supported the Party in different forms.
Prosperity Party was established in November 2019 after three political organizations that constituted the defunct Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and five other allies merged to form a single party.
Master of the former coalition, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), declined, and opposed, the merger and is not operating in the Tigray region, only running the regional government. Prosperity Party announced last month that it would open branch offices in all zones and districts in the region, but that did not happen. On Friday this week, the Party announced on its social media page that it is getting requests for emergency help from its members in the region due to repression by TPLF.
Abiy Ahmed, who is also the president of the Party, said during the fundraising event that there was participation in the fundraising drive by people ranging from peasants to business people.
The fund is to be used for operation and party activities. The Party was facing criticism from opposition parties like Ethiopian Citizens For Social Justice Party for using public resources to fund party activities.
Abiy Ahmed raised the issue during his speech on Saturday. And he said that the Party would make a distinction between the party and government activities, and utilize the resources it mobilized as a party.
He also announced that 100 million birr would go to the fight against CoronaVirus in the country. Ethiopia has announced the first confirmed case of COVID 19 on Friday.
“The public should focus on caution and prevention instead of panicking about it,” Abiy Ahmed said in his speech, as reported by state media Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).
He used the Party’s event to express his government commitment to the fight against COVID 19. “The government does not want even a single person hurt from and will do everything necessary,” EBC quoted him as saying.
Video : Embedded from Fana Television youtube channel
Cover photo : screenshot from video
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