Electoral Board of Ethiopia to probe 146 complaints

ADDIS ABABA, June 19, 2005 (ENA) — The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said it will investigate 146 of the 434 complaints presented by contesting political parties.

Ethiopian man casts his vote at a polling station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Sunday, May 15, 2005 during the third democratic elections in Ethiopia’s 3,000-year history. (AP).

The Board office told ENA on Sunday that the complaint reviewing has been done by complaint investigating team set up by the Board.

The Board also said among the 146 complaints, investigations would be carried out at 136 polling stations.

The complaint investigating team, which involves lawyers, said as they were not supported by sound evidences and failed to fulfill the complaint investigation requirement it has rejected some 244 of the complaints lodged by the political parties .

The complaint investigating team asked additional evidences for 29 complaints lodged by the political parties on elections in Amhara, South Ethiopia and Afar states.

Complaints lodged by seven of the nine political parties that submitted complaints and complaint of one individual candidate were accepted, the team said.

Among the 187 appeals presented by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), some 80 would be investigated, while additional evidences were required on 29 complaints.

The team also said investigations would be carried out on 14 of the 43 complaints lodged by the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Out of the 149 complaints submitted by the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) some 40 have met the requirement to be investigated, according to the team.

Six of the eight complaints presented by the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), two of the three complaints submitted by the Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) as well as complaint lodged by one individual candidate would be investigated.

Some three of the nine complaints presented by the Sidama Hadicho Peoples’ Democratic Organization (SHPDO) would be investigated.

Among 127 complaints presented in the Amhara State, some 34 merited investigations, while 61 of the 142 complaints presented in South Ethiopia Peoples’ State have fulfilled the investigation requirement, according to the team.

Additional evidences were required on seven complaints presented in South Ethiopia State, it added.