News: Newly formed Southwest Ethiopia State establishes 70-members regional council
Addis Abeba – Newly formed Southwest Ethiopia People’s Regional State established 70 members regional council representing 13 existing nations and nationalities of the region, according to regional communication bureau.
At a meeting held today, Abebe Mamo, the chief administrator of Sheka Zone, welcomed the establishment and said that the regional council will help to strengthen long lasting solidarity and brotherhood among the diverse national groups in the region.
Dr. Negash Wagesho, the deputy president of Southwest Ethiopia People’s Regional State, on his part said that the role of the establishment of the regional Council of nations is paramount to ensure the economic benefit of the local community in the region.
It will also have various contexts in which the respect for the history and traditions of the national groups inf the region can be reflected. The establishments the new regional state government was not a threat to state building at national level but was formed as a success of organized self-determination.
The 70 members regional Council of nations included five representatives from the 13 existing nations and nationalities of the region and five more representatives from nations with a population of more than one million in the region.
In addition to the formation of the regional council, today’s council meeting has also unanimously approved Metu Aku as the Speaker and Mesele Kebede as the Deputy Speaker of the council.
In August last year, the provisional council of the regional State has announced that the new regional state will have four capital cities of equal status, becoming the first regional state to have multiple capital cities of equal status. Accordingly, the cities of Bonga, Tercha, Mizan Aman and Tepi will be the regional capitals with equal status. It was decided that Bonga City will be hosting the seat of the political and regional president; Tercha will be the seat of the regional council; Mizan Aman will be the seat of the regional judiciary; and Tepi will be the seat of the region’s nations Council.
More than a million voters cast their votes in a referendum held on 30 September 2021 which was the second after Sidama regional state. The overwhelming majority of the voters approved the creation of the new state. Subsequently, the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s (SNNP) regional state Council handed over power to the new State on 01 November 2021.
