Elite Cooptation and Opposition Fragmentation in Ethiopia: The Prosperity Party’s Strategy for Political Dominance

By: Sophonias A. Kassa Introduction Ethiopia’s transition to multiparty democracy in 1991 was expected to usher in political pluralism and decentralization. However, instead of fostering genuine competition, the ruling party has consistently manipulated the political system to weaken opposition forces while maintaining its grip on power. Following the Ethiopian People s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)’s transformation into the Prosperity Party (PP) in 2019, this strategy has deepened, with opposition groups either co-opted, suppressed, or internally fragmented. Scholarship on electoral authoritarianism suggests that ruling parties do not rely solely on repression, but rather employ covert forms of control, such as cooptation of

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