Part I of EPDP Second Congress Opens in Gondar for Members in Ethiopia and Sudan

2015-07-16 21:44:33 Written by  EPDP Information Office Published in EPDP News Read 8379 times

The first part of the Second Congress of the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) opened on 15 July in Gondar, Ethiopia, in the presence of Party Chairman Menghesteab Asmerom, other executive committee members and congress delegates representing EPDP members in the Sudan and Ethiopia. The second part of the congress is scheduled to be held in Germany later this month.

Opening Session 2

EPDP Chairman speaking at opening session of the Gondar Congress

Taking part at the opening ceremony to deliver solidarity messages of their respective organizations were senior leadership members of the Eritrean People’s Unity Front (EPUF-Sagim), the Eritrean Islamic Party for Justice and Development (EIPJD, and the Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF-Hidri. Other seven fraternal Eritrean political organizations also sent messages of solidarity that were read at the session. Even senior party figure, Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, sent a message of wishes for success of the congress from his hospital bed in Khartoum.

Opening session moderator, Mr. Debesai Beyene, made short remarks welcoming congress participants and invited Mr. Gime Ahmed to make a statement as member of the preparatory committee. Mr. Gime Ahmed paid gratitude to guests and congress participants for arriving on time to Gondar from faraway places of the Sudan and Ethiopia braving many travel constraints at this Ramada period and in the eve of Eid al-Fitir celebrations. This was followed by the presentation in Arabic and Tigrinia of the opening message from Ms Adiam Teferra, the chairwoman of the preparatory committee.

Opening Session 3

In their solidarity messages to the congress, Mr. Jamal Saleh, EPUD-Sagim chairman; Mr. Ahmed Sefer, executive committee member of the EIPJD, and Mr. Ogbazghi Debus, chairman of the ENSF-Hidri, congratulated EPDP for holding its congress on schedule and at this critical moment in the Eritrean struggle for democratic change. Also read one after the other were solidarity messages sent by the Eritrean Nahda/Renaissance Party; Eritrean Federal Democratic Movement (EFDM); the Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF); Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO); the Eritrean Unity for Democratic Change (EUDC); the Eritrean People’s Congress (EPC) and the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF).

The keynote speech at the opening ceremony was presented by EPDP Chairman Menghesteab Asmerom who warmly thanked party members and invited guests for coming to the congress in spite of the Ramadan fast and the upcoming Eid al-Fitir. He apologized to those fraternal party leaders and some congress delegates who could not come to Gondar because of Eid. He explained that the date for the congress was fixed long time ago and that it was difficult to foresee the coincidence of Eid al-Fitir with the congress schedule.

In his statement, the EPDP chairman emphasized the importance of unity of action in the opposition camp and the question of active participation of youth and women in the current struggle for democratic change in Eritrea.

Later in the afternoon, the congress formed a committee to conduct regular congress proceedings and then listened to a 29-page report of the EPDP Central Council read by the party chairman.

Opening Session 4

The lengthy report covered party activities during the past four years since first party congress was held in July-August 2011. Part I of the EPDP congress in Gondar will debate the report and later on review and adopt drafts of congress documents which include the political programme and party constitution.