Abstract:
The main theme of this study is to explore the political dynamics of the Amhara regional state
since 2018. In 2018, there was “political reform” which begun with the euphoria of whole sale
transformation to democracy and good governance , and unfortunately, ended up in mere
circulation of the ruling elites from above , which of course have far-reaching implications on
regional politics too. Amhara Region is one of the region that have faced the brunt of the
reform with its unprecedented level of political dynamism The main objective of this research
was to assess the status of the 2018 political reform, the manifestations, and the factors that
affect the political dynamics of the Amhara regional state since then. To achieve these objectives,
the study has employed a qualitative approach with a case study research design. The data were
collected from interviews (face to face and telephone interviews), personal observations, Focus
Group Discussion. In addition to primary data, the study used secondary data such as published
and unpublished material, along with different political elite discourse form YouTube platforms.
Data collected from primary and secondary sources were analyzed through both thematic and
discourse analysis method. Primary data sources were selected using purposive sampling
technique. The finding of the study revealed that, the 2018 political reform was not deeply
planted rather it was shallow, and it was not full-hearted by different political actors of the
Amhara region. Besides, political complexity in the region has been increased from time to time.
Due to this, the region becomes exposed to frequent leadership changes. Pertinent to this, the
political power struggle has intensified in the region, either within the ruling party by itself or
among opposition parties with the incumbent parties. External factors such as unsynthesised
ethnic federalism, the current constitution, and confrontation among neighboring states, as well
as internal factors such as economics, IDP, elite hostility, and weak institutions, account for the
current political dynamics of the Amhara region. The major conclusion of the study drawn from
the findings is that, the weakness of the current ruling party of the region aggregated with the
dominance of the federal government under the vanguard of the Oromo prosperity party political
elite, has led to political crises in the Amhara regional state after 2018.