Honorable Mr. Tagese Chafo

In a democratic society, parliament is the embodiment of political participation. Strengthening the parliamentary democracy system in a country is essential for the development of democratic participation of citizens, for ensuring the rule of law and social justice, and for enabling the executive branch of government to carry out its work with accountability and transparency. It has been three decades since the implementation of the parliamentary democracy system in our country, and five parliamentary terms have passed, and we are now in the 4th year of the 6th House. The House of Peoples’ Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is the highest authority of the federal government. It is formed by members elected by the people through national elections held every five years. Its members are elected by the people through a system of universal, free, direct, fair and secret ballot. Its members are accountable to the people of Ethiopia; their subordination is to the Constitution, the people and their conscience. It is known that the activities and decisions of the House in the areas of law-making, oversight, and delegation are crucial; it is clear that they directly or indirectly have a positive or negative impact on the lives of every citizen. Therefore, the House has been conducting appropriate investigations and passing many national decisions on issues that are considered essential for the peace of the country, the social development of the citizens, and the overall prosperity of the citizens through the law-making process, oversight, and delegation activities. The House has been working hard to monitor and supervise government institutions to properly fulfill their missions so that the resources and assets of the government and the people are used for the intended purpose and the living standards of the people are improved. The House is working more than ever to respond to the development and good governance issues raised by the community, and the response of institutions has been growing and improving. In the field of parliamentary diplomacy, efforts have been made to properly utilize bilateral and multilateral platforms to promote the culture and true face of our country and to achieve encouraging results in supporting the country's economic diplomacy (trade and investment); in the future, the House will work diligently to implement parliamentary diplomacy as a foreign policy tool in a broad and strengthened manner. The House will work diligently in the future to ensure that the delayed projects to improve the living standards of citizens are completed quickly and provide development services to the community, to promote investment, to create jobs and reduce poverty, to ensure the rule of law and good governance. The National Consultative Commission established by the House of Representatives is currently in the process of gathering agendas in various parts of the country to resolve our political differences through dialogue, consultation and discussion. For the commission to achieve its mission, all patriotic Ethiopians and Ethiopians of Ethiopian descent must play their part with a sense of national love. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is a symbol of our unity and solidarity, is in the process of being completed, and many major national projects are underway that will accelerate the socio-economic development of the citizens. Therefore, in order to complete the journey of comprehensive prosperity that our country has begun and to realize an Ethiopia that is convenient for its citizens, I would like to take this opportunity to convey a message to Ethiopians and Ethiopians of Ethiopian descent to stand together for peace, the development of our solidarity and national understanding, and to all contribute our own. It is my sincere wish that the New Year will be a time of peace, happiness, unity, understanding, development, and many hopes. Thank you!