The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) has announced the selection of 330 regional representatives to serve as key decision-makers during the ongoing national consultation process.
Chief Commissioner Professor Mesfin Araya disclosed the updated tally following two weeks of preliminary consultations. While previous framework documents initially cited a quota of 211 regional delegates, the commission expanded the total to 330 without elaborating on the reason for the increase.
The newly selected delegates will play a vital role in resolving impasses whenever the main consultative assembly fails to reach the required 75 percent consensus threshold. Drawn from 12 regional states, two chartered city administrations, and federal institutions, the 330 representatives were chosen across 15 distinct voting blocs, each contributing 22 members. The selection spans a broad spectrum of society, including civil society organizations, youth, women, government agencies, educators, religious institutions, persons with disabilities, and political parties.
According to commission directives, the regional representatives are tasked with making binding decisions when specialized working groups hit a deadlock. Their intervention is triggered under two primary conditions: first, if at least three regional delegations formally request a review of a lower-level decision; second, if a rejected proposal lacking 70 percent support is deemed to pose a significant threat to national values, regional identity, or public survival. In such instances, the commission evaluates the claim and forwards validated grievances to the regional representatives for a final vote.
The announcement coincides with structural progress in the dialogue’s preliminary phases. Participants previously organized into smaller discussion clusters of 10, 50, and 250 individuals have completed the synthesis of their initial proposals. Proposals that were omitted during earlier rounds have now been reviewed, integrated, and officially documented through signed minutes to ensure accurate representation of the grassroots input.
Looking ahead, the consultation process moves to its next major stage as a combined group of 500 delegates convenes on Monday to deliberate on the compiled issues. Following a scheduled pause in proceedings over the weekend, the 500-member body will analyze the synthesized proposals, marking a significant transition toward higher-level consensus building.