Dans la cour de Meihad. Quand les règles brouillent le jeu des partis en Éthiopie

In authoritarian regimes, the rules of the game can be negotiated, but are often imposed through violent means. Opponents can try to go around the rules, or even contest them thanks to a certain capacity to act (agency). An ability to act that is sometimes reduced to the simple authorization to exist as long as one does not cross the red lines arbitrarily defined by the authoritarian government. This article shows, however, that these opponents are not only passive victims and can also request the authoritarian government to intervene when it comes to dominating their party or retaining the reins. The rules of the authoritarian game are then articulated to opposition parties rules, a game in which the latter does not benefit much. It is these complex modalities this article aims to discuss, in the context of the 2015 general elections, via a dive into the headquarter and universe of the conservative Meihad party, until recently one of the most influential party of the Ethiopian opposition.