Ethiopia to declare election results for constituencies not under probe next week

ADDIS ABABA, July 23, 2005 (Xinhua) — The National Electroal Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said Saturday official results for the country’ s parliament election would be announced early next week, except those of the constituencies under investigation.

An Ethiopian woman casts her 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).

NEBE deputy head Tesfaye Mengesha told a press conference that the election results to be declared next week would be divided into three categories.

The first category includes those complaints, which NEBE passed a final decision after the complaint review body (CRB) rejected in its recommendation saying they do not deserve investigation.

The second category encompasses complaints where NEBE gave a final decision after the 26 complaint investigation panels (CIPs) declared they do not merit re-election.

He said NEBE would announce the official results next week including the results of the 307 constituencies, which NEBE has earlier made public.

NEBE is responsible for the administration, conduct and supervision of all elections in Ethiopia’s federal and state constituencies.

On July 8, partial official results, released by NEBE, showed the ruling party and its smaller political allies won 158 seats against 148 seats of the opposition coalitions in the 547-seat lower house of parliament.

NEBE is giving a final decision after a thorough assessment of recommendations passed by 21 CIPs who finalized investigations into 107 constituencies, he said.

NEBE ruled on complaints in 101 constituencies which filed by the parties and have not been appealed for second round hearing after turned down by the CRB as well as those complaints submitted for hearing, but the parties agreed upon the previous recommendations.

NEBE also gave a decision on complaints in 54 constituencies which the CRB rejected further investigations and submitted to the board.

He said re-election is expected to be conducted until mid- August.

Ethiopians went to poll on May 15 in the country’s two separate elections to elect representatives to the House of People’s Representatives and eight regional councils. Elections for the 23 constituencies of the Somali regional state will take place on Aug. 21.

Ethiopia has a two-house parliament: the 110-seat upper House of the Federation and the 547-seat lower House of People’s Representatives.