The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Council of Institutional Inquiry has made an open call for constitutional law experts to submit an amicus curiae brief in the matter submitted to it by the House of Peoples Representatives.

“Subsequently, the CCI will hold a hearing with relevant institutions and prominent individuals” Meaza Ashenafi President of the FDRE Supreme Court tweeted today.

“Such participation is important to demonstrate to the public the integrity of the process and the outcome as well as to cultivate a positive tradition of constitutionalism in Ethiopia” Meaza stated.

The House of Peoples Representatives recently approved a resolution seeking constitutional interpretation out of four legal options proposed by the government to postpone the upcoming election.

It is to be recalled the approved resolution was referred to the Council of Constitutional Inquiry.

Higher government officials are currently deliberating on reports tabled by the technical committee of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Dr. Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, presented the reports at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, according to EBC report.

Dr. Sileshi on the occasion said the overall progress of the GERD project has reached 73%, while civil engineer works are now at 87%.

The Minister indicated that filling of the dam will begin next July.

Ethiopia is preparing an appropriate response to the letter which Egypt had submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) complaining Ethiopia’s plan to fill the dam, he added.

GERD is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state. It is expected to be completed in 2023.

The people and government of Ethiopia are funding the project, which will not only serve Ethiopia but also Sudan and Egypt as well.

Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde has held a phone conversation with King Philippe of Belgium.

The two sides discussed on measures being taken by the two nations to fight the spread of the coronavirus (CVID-19) pandemic.

After the conversation, President Sahle-Work said “I had a telephone talks with His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium. We exchanged our experiences in the fight against COVID-19.”

The President thanked the King for his message of solidarity to the people of Ethiopia, and added “It is together that we will win.”

Ethiopia has confirmed 16 new cases of the coronavirus out of the 2,383 samples tested over the past 24 hours.

All the confirmed cases are Ethiopia nationals aged between 20-60 years, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

Two of the confirmed cases have a travel history abroad, while the other cases had contact with previously confirmed cases, it added.

Two patients have also recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 97, the statement indicated.

The total number of confirmed cases in Ethiopia has now reached 210, with an overall test count of 32, 689. The country has so far 4 deaths from the virus.

On the occasion of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, President Sahle-Work Zewde, met with the leadership of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, of which she is the patron, to discuss the national response to COVID-19. The President appreciated the key role that the society has been playing and she further encouraged them to continue their efforts. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has been engaging in various activities to combat the spread of the Coronavirus such as spraying streets in various cities with disinfectant, mobilizing volunteers, and distributing sanitary products.

The Council of Ministers in its 20^th urgent session held on May 7th discussed four key points and passed resolutions accordingly.

During its urgent meeting, the Council deliberated over the proposed legalization of the Council of Ethiopian Evangelical Churches and referred the draft proclamation to the House of Peoples’ Representatives to approval passing a decision on the issue.

The Council also discussed social and economic aspects incorporated the draft national transport policy aimed to modernize the sector through technological advancements, and passed a decision on the matter accordingly.

The Council also discussed the proposed national logistic service policy and passed resolutions aimed to ensure speedy and effective managerial and structural capability in the sector.

Recommending some improvements, the Council agreed on the draft logistic policy and referred it to the House for approval.

Furthermore, the Council passed a decision on a draft bill adopted to amend establishing regulation of the Ethiopian Development Bank focusing on increasing its capital so that the bank could effectively execute national development plans, and decided on its publication in the Negarit Gazeta.

Ethiopia has reported 25 new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) today, the highest new cases in a single day.

The country had conducted a total of 1,843 laboratory tests during the past 24 hours, of which 25 have become positive for the virus.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health, all the confirmed cases are Ethiopian nationals aged between 17-65 years.

The statement stated that 19 of the confirmed cases have no travel history abroad or contact with a previously confirmed case.

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed said the government would take measures against activities violating constitutional laws so as to protect the safety and security of the public.

In a statement he issued on current affairs this morning, the premier said a need for the participatory democratic system is among the growing aspirations in modern Ethiopia, adding the upcoming national election is a critical milestone to address such desire.

The government has been undertaking all the necessary preparations for the upcoming elections despite some political elites need to avoid the vote, the Prime Minister said.

He recalled the announcement made by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on March 31, 2020, that it cannot hold the election as per the time scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the announcement of NEBE to postpone the election, the government was seeking options involving the participation of legal experts, he said, adding the experts formulated options that help postpone the election lawfully.

Various stakeholders have discussed the options, he said, adding the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) has approved and referred the issue of constitutional interpretation to the council of constitutional inquiry.

The Premier extended his gratitude to those who contributed constructive ideas to the government on the legal options put in place.

According to the Prime Minister, those who complained about the issue of the constitutional interpretation put forward as an option to postpone the election have not legal grounds to do so.

The HPR is the highest authority of the federal government. Only the ruling Prosperity Party has a legislative power to lead the nation till COVID 19 crisis is over and the upcoming election held.

A claim by competing political parties to share power without elections is unacceptable and breaches not only the Ethiopian constitution but also international laws, he said.

The Prime Minister said the government is ready to take all the necessary measures to protect and defend the constitution.

Innovation and Technology Ministry today announced that Ethiopia is now technologically well equipped to launch electronic transactions.

This was indicated when the ministry discussed the electronic transaction draft bill with human resource and technology standing committee of the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR).

Constructive ideas and recommendations have been obtained from the meeting with the standing committee so that the country run the new transaction system with full preparedness, said Dr. Abrham Belay Minister of Innovation and Technology.

Dr. Abrham explained that an electronic transaction is the sale or purchase of goods or services, whether between businesses, households, individuals, governments, and other public or private organizations using mobile cell phones and related technological devices.

He said further efforts are needed to run the proposed electronic transaction system with fullest capacities.

A legal procedure underway to launch the new transaction system has a paramount significance to equally accommodate interests of both paper and computer-based segments of societies thereby facilitate conducive economic atmosphere and ensure good governance in the country, Dr. Abrham elaborated.

Dr. Abrham said “the draft bill awaiting the approval of the parliament is a supportive legal instrument for the existing trade and service laws” adding “It is a best solution that enables individuals to access digital services from anywhere using their mobile phones avoiding physical contacts.”

The standing committee urged the ministry to incorporate the recommendations it forwarded so as to make the transaction technology operational soon.

Ministry of Health announced that 17 new coronavirus cases have been reported in a single day as Ethiopia intensified its preventative measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The ministry revealed the figures on its daily update on Wednesday and noted the increase marked a big jump since the first case confirmed on March 13, 2020.

Health Minister, Dr. Lia Tadesse told ENA that the 17 new infections were identified following the analysis of 1,382 samples taken over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 162.

She said that Out of this number who have diagnosed with the virus four of them have no travel history while the rest have a history of recent travel from Djibouti and Somalia.

All the reported cases were in mandatory quarantine in the town of Jigjiga and Afar Regional State, the Minister added.

Furthermore, two patients have fully recovered from the virus raising total recoveries to 93.

To-date, 26, 517 people have tested for COVID-19, of these 162 have confirmed positive, 93 recoveries, and four death recorded in Ethiopia.

Globally confirmed coronavirus cases surpass 3.5 million as the cases in Africa close to 50, 000 with nearly 2, 000 death records, according to Africa CDC.