የኦሮሞ ብሔር አባልነታቸው ከክርስቲያን እና ሙስሊም መነሻቸው ጋር፣ በወትድርና ልምዳቸው እና በወታደራዊ ስለላ ባለሙያነታቸው፣ አቢይ ሃገሪቷ ውስጥ ያለውን ውጥረት ሊያረግቡ እንደሚችሉ መሪ ታይተው ነበር፡፡
An ethnic Oromo with a mixed Christian and Muslim background, along with military experience and expertise in military intelligence, Abiy was seen as a figure capable of easing the turmoil in the country.