Referendum on the creation of a Sidama region, 2019|
|
|
Choice |
Votes |
% |
| Yes |
2,225,249 |
98.52% |
| No |
33,463 |
1.48% |
| Valid votes |
2,258,712 |
99.19% |
| Invalid or blank votes |
18,351 |
0.81% |
| Total votes |
2,277,063 |
100.00% |
| Registered voters/turnout |
2,280,147 |
99.86% |
|
A referendum on creating 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 referendum's management and its likely centrifugal consequences on Ethiopia's system of ethnic federalism were seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's policy of democratic openness ahead of the 2020 general election.
