Afar People's Party gains cabinet role as parliamentary opposition grows

The Afar People's Party (APP) secured one seat in the federal legislative house during the June elections. Following this, the party's Chairman, Musa Adem, was appointed as the Minister of Peace in October, granting the party a unique ministerial representation. On October 8, the seventh Parliament unanimously confirmed the 22-member cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was recently re-elected.

The current House of Peoples' Representatives hosts 48 opposition and independent members, marking the largest such contingent since 2005. Although the 1995 Constitution was designed to accommodate opposition representation, procedural hurdles remain. Notably, internal rules established in 2005 require a majority vote to place an item on the parliamentary agenda, rather than the previous threshold of 20 supporting members, which complicates legislative autonomy for smaller parties.