Ethiopian president Mulatu Teshome addresses members of the Ethiopian Parliament and the House of Federation about the declaration of the state of emergency, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia’s president, who does not wield executive power but served in the ruling coalition, said on Monday the nation had to broaden its democracy, after a wave of protests over land and political rights that rocked areas around the capital.

“Ahead of the next elections, there is the need to widen democratic platforms to ensure alternative views are expressed,” President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu told parliament, after opposition parties failed to win a single seat in the 2015 vote.

The government and policy making is led by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.