ETHIOPIAS RULING PARTY RECORRD OVERWHELMING RESULT

Ethiopia’s ruling party sweeps election

The EPRDF and its allies have so far won all 442 seats announced as the opposition cries foul.

By Guyo Imano

                                   

Ethiopia’s ruling party and its allies have again won with another landslide victory in the country’s parliamentary election which was held some days ago. The country’s electoral board, based on preliminary results, declared the ruling party to have garnered all 442 seats announced leaving opposition empty handed.

The results of voting in the remaining 105 seats are yet to be announced.

The EPRDF political opponents alleged that their supporters were harassed, claims which were however denied by the incumbent prime minister and leader of the Ethiopian people’s revolutionary democratic front (EPRDF), which has been in power for the last quarter of a century

The ruling party was widely expected to sweep all the votes.

“It was not an election, it was an organized armed robbery” Merera Gudina, chairman of the Oromo federalist congress said.

The electoral board confidently stated that turn out exceeding 90%

“Most of the voters interviewed stated that they voted for ruling party” Al Jazeera correspondent report.

Some voters indicated that on Sunday afternoon members of ruling party were conducting door to door campaigns to ensure voters attend.

“In my area, the EPRDF supporters went from house to house to confirm whether you have voted or not” said a voter who refused to give his name on condition of anonymity.

MEDREK and the blue party, the two leading opposition parties, both reported irregularities on the day of voting, including obstruction of opposition party observers to enter polling stations

“It was not an election, it was organized armed robbery.”Merera Gudina, who ran on MEDREK’s ticket, said on Tuesday evening.

Gudina reported that out of 71 ballot boxes in a constituency in Ambo, an area known for anti-government protests, MEDREK party observers were only able to sign off on 20.

Gudina said on Tuesday that the party was in process of documenting violation. However, apparently no complaints had been filed with the electoral board.

“This time we are fed up. Last time we hired lawyers, but the electoral board said we didn’t have any evidence, Gudina sensationally claim.

                 AU REPORT   

In its preliminary report, the AU election observers avoided words “free and fair” and instead said that the elections were “calm, peaceful and credible. However they reaffirmed several concerns raised by opposition parties.

In one of the five polling stations visited, AU observers noted campaigning inside polling stations, further stating that officials failed to demonstrate the ballot boxes were empty before voting began.

The EPRDF has governed since it overthrew the Dergi regime in 1991 and currently controls all the seats but one in parliament.

Although 58 political parties contested the parliamentary vote, most were said to be weak or allied with ruling party.

The final results will be announced on June 22.