Ethiopian opposition threatens parliament boycott over poll complaints

ADDIS ABABA, May 23 (AFP) — Ethiopia’s opposition threatened Monday to boycott the next session of parliament unless its complaints of widespread vote fraud in last week’s general elections are resolved.

A shopkeeper shows a badge of the main Ethiopian opposition party CUD (Coalition for Unity and Democracy) 14 May 2005 in the old Mercato (market) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AFP).

With preliminary official returns from only a fraction of the country’s 547 constituencies announced by election authorities more than a week after the polls, the opposition also urged the Ethiopian people to prepare to peacefully protest any attempt to whitewash their complaints.

At the same time, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which has conceded losing all 23 parliamentary seats in Addis Ababa and all seats in the city council, said it would hand over administrative authority to the opposition under an unspecified but set timetable.

The main opposition group, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), said it had submitted specific complaints of “gross election irregularities” in 139 constituencies to election authorities and that unless they were fully probed it would not take up its newly won seats in the federal assembly.

“If they are fairly decided and investigated by the national election board, international observers and our representatives, we will join any government,” said CUD president Hailu Shawel.

“But if these constitutencies are not properly investigated, we can’t do that because that is not the decision of the people, we (will) refuse to take up our seats in parliament,” he told reporters.

International observers have hailed the peaceful conduct and heavy turnout of the May 15 polls and given generally positive assessments of the vote.

According to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), which has come under criticism for its slow pace in releasing results, returns from only 121 constituencies have been submitted to it for verification.

Of those, 77 have gone to the EPRDF and allied parties and 44 to the CUD and other opposition groups, according to the board which said it had specially hired four senior judges to look into the complaints.

Both Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s EPRDF and the opposition have claimed victory in the election, which saw more than 90 percent turnout from Ethiopia’s 26 million voters.

The ruling party has conceded losses, particularly in the capital where Meles has banned all demonstrations for one month, and said it would turn over the running of the capital to the opposition.

“The EPRDF will hand over the Addis Ababa city administration to the winning party in the set time table and would also like to confirm that it will continue to extend support to the city administration,” it said in a statement.

The party, though, insisted it had a parliamentary majority with 300 plus seats.

However, Shawel said Monday that the opposition had won at least 227 seats and would have a majority in parliament if the EPRDF stopped its “illegal” activities and warned of protests if its complaints are not dealt with fairly.

“If from now the ruling party does not immediately cease it’s illegal endeavours, the people should be ready to take appropriate forms of political struggle,” he said, citing peaceful demonstrations, strikes and vigils as examples.

“We demand… that what the people put in the ballot box is what comes out of it,” Shawel said, adding that some of the 98 constituencies for which results have been announced were among the 139 they had complained about.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Berekat Simon, the EPRDF campaign spokesman, said the opposition had no right to complain about results that have already been announced and repeated the ruling party’s victory claim.

“We believe accepting the counting at polling and constituency level is mandatory and unavoidable for all of us,” he told AFP.