Despite being one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, Ethiopia faces significant challenges with wealth distribution and ongoing conflict. Concerns about election fairness are compounded by exclusion, inflation, and uneven development, altering perceptions of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Dr. Douglas Yates, Africa Specialist and Political Science Professor at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy. Amid ongoing conflict, will Ethiopia's elections be "free and fair"? While acknowledging that electoral procedures may function in parts of the country, he argues that conflict, exclusion, inflation, and uneven development remain the defining realities shaping Ethiopia's political landscape. Dr. Yates also revisits the ...