Ethiopia’s ruling party wins polls with absolute majority

ADDIS ABABA, May 30 (AFP) — Ethiopia’s ruling party has won a majority of parliamentary seats in May 15 parliamentary polls with preliminary results in from 85 percent of the country’s 547 constituencies, electoral updates released Monday showed.

Elias Rhalil from Ethiopia (2nd R) waves their national flag during a rally against the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and results of the legislative elections in Ethiopia, during a protest in front of the State Department in Washington, May 26, 2005. (Reuters).

According to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), the results from the 463 constituencies gave the ruling Ethiopia’s People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) 274 seats, a one-seat majority in the national assembly with 78 seats still to be declared.

In addition, parties allied to the EPRDF, which is led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, have so far won another 15 seats.

The country’s opposition groups, which held only 12 seats in parliament before the election, were credited with 174 seats.

These groups, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Front (UEDF) and allied parties, have complained of irregularities during the elections with the CUD threatening not to take up its seats unless there is an investigation by the NEBE.

The NEBE said Friday that electoral malpractises had occurred in six constituencies in two southern states, requiring a rerun of the polls there that would set back the final official announcement of results set for June 8.

Neither the EPRDF nor the opposition groups was immediately available for comment on the latest results on Monday.

In the last parliament, Meles’ EPRDF enjoyed a huge majority of 481 seats even without its allies, but had appointed ministers from outside the party.