Book

Description

One of the approaches to democratization is the fostering of civil society organizations. In Ethiopia, civil society organizations did not fully play their role in the continent’s democratization process due to many factors including the repressive regulations imposed on them by governing parties. For the first time in the country’s political history, civil society played a very active role in the 2005 election in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the work of civil society organizations in this area was not always received with open hands. The objective of this paper is to assess the consequences of such involvement for the civil society in the country. In Ethiopia, the push back against the pro-democracy and pro-rights advocacy began intensifying following the 2005 elections and took concrete shape with the passing of the Proclamation to Provide for the Registration and Regulation of Civil Societies in 2009.