By Addis Getachew and Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s ruling four-party coalition on Friday reelected incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as its chairman.

“This is a historic event as the congress will determine the future of our country,” the country’s prime minister told the congress.

According to Ethiopia’s law, the chairman of the ruling party or coalition is the default prime minister.

This is the first time the congress was held since 2015 as Ethiopia had experienced anti-government protests which only halted six months ago when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power.

Although Ahmed gave the nation much hope for a better future by setting in motion a comprehensive reform agenda, there have been ethnic clashes in various parts of the country that left hundreds of people dead and more than one million people internally displaced.

The congress also reelected Demeke Mekonnen, the chairman of the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) as deputy chairman of the coalition.

Ethiopians expect a parliamentary election in 2020. “We will have democratic, free and fair election,” the prime minister said.