2019 Sidama Region referendum

A referendum on the creation of a Sidama Region was held on regionalisation in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia on 20 November 2019. The creation of such a region is a long-standing claim of the Sidama people. The management of the referendum and its likely centrifugal consequences on Ethiopia's system of ethnic federalism is seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's policy of democratic openness ahead of the 2020 general election.

2019 Sidama Region referendum

A referendum on the creation of a Sidama Region was held on regionalisation in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia on 20 November 2019. The creation of such a region is a long-standing claim of the Sidama people. The management of the referendum and its likely centrifugal consequences on Ethiopia's system of ethnic federalism is seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's policy of democratic openness ahead of the 2020 general election.