Ethiopian PM rules out coalition government
By Biniyam Alemayehu, The Reporter
ADDIS ABABA, Aug 13, 2005 — Meles Zenawi, the prime minister and chairman of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), on Thursday ruled out the possibility of setting up a coalition government with oppostion parties and urged the latter to officially commit themselves to conducting their businesses in a legal and peaceful manner.
Briefing ETV and Radio Ethiopia journalists, the prime minister admitted that many parts of the country and the capital in particular were caught in a growing sense of fear that an election-related violence could flare up all of a sudden. He said such fear had found expression in the slump business and development activities after the election.
The prime minister, who underscored that the daunting task of probing into the massive allegations of fraud was being handled in a transparent manner, also pointed out that the effort to go extra miles to accommodate the situation had created problems like delaying the announcement of final poll results.
Meles said it was absolutely necessary to abide by the letter and spirit of the law. The state of uncertainty and fear of violence would not be allowed to continue, Meles said adding that the situation must be swiftly resolved. “The path of violence and peace must clearly be distinguished, and now is the time to make that distinction,” he told journalists.
Meles warned that any further attempt to undermine the constitutional order would be nipped in the bud in accordance with the law of the land. He called upon the general public to safeguard peace and stability in alliance with the government.
Asked to state the government’s position on the call by the opposition for the formation of a coalition government Meles said, “Even if EPRDF fails to obtain the number of votes required to form a federal government, it would not think of forming a coalition government with other parties.”
Meles said the opposition could take further complaints to court in accordance with the law. He said any attempt to withdraw from the process before going to court would be unconstitutional. He called on the opposition to accept the road to peace without any precondition.
Addressing the issue of access to the state media, Meles stated point blank that the opposition had to refrain from spreading hate propaganda and preaching violence on the internet and some other private newspapers in order to have access to the public media.
The spokesperson of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), Dr. Hailu Araya, said the opposition called for the establishment of a national unity government in view of the perilous situation hovering over the country and not for gaining leadership in government. “For EPRDF it’s always connected to the number of parliamentary seats it could occupy to rule the country, but we are saying that a coalition government is a viable option to avert election-related dangers,” he said.
He said the CUD had clearly stated previously that it would stay in the process by exhausting all the possible legal means, adding that the PM was deliberately incriminating the opposition to cover up EPRDF’s fraudulent activities.
Dr. Beyene Petros of the Union of Ethiopian Democracy Forces (UEDF) told The Reporter that his party representatives were making utmost efforts to get back stolen votes by being a party of the process and not by shying away from the path of peace as the PM put it. “We are still in the process and he knows it. Pointing out the deficiencies and ills of the investigation process is not being unconstitutional”, he said.
He said the PM ended up by repeating what he said during Friday’s talks instead of addressing issues in a responsible manner.