Major national issues and need for national consensus: their implications for sustainable peace in Ethiopia

The incumbent government in Ethiopia has undergone political reform since April 2018. However, the effectiveness, sustainability, and legitimacy of the reform depend on its inclusiveness. Our study aimed to explore major national dialogue agendas for effective implementation of the political reforms. The qualitative information was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The key informants were selected using snowball sampling technique. Primary and secondary data were scrutinised through critical discourse analysis and systematic review, respectively. Inter alia, the constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, federal system, autonomy of the justice structure, democratic system, national flag and emblem, national heroes, political economic model including privatisation of state-owned enterprises, rural and urban land tenure system, depoliticisation of the civil service system, and culture of tolerance are the major national dialogue issues that should be addressed through inclusive consensus. Otherwise, constraint of legitimacy in Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray regions may not be resolved sustainably.