US welcomes Ethiopian elections but says work needed
Sept 16, 2005 (WASHINGTON) — Ethiopia’s parliamentary elections were a milestone in the birth of democracy in that east African country, but work is necessary to “to strengthen the electoral process,” the State Department said.
Results from the May 15 vote, released Sept. 5 by the National Electoral Board, gave 327 seats Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, or 60 percent of the 547-seat parliament, enough to form the next government. Opposition parties got 174 seats, compared with 12 in 2000 elections.
Opposition parties argued the victory was stolen and are considering a boycott of the new parliament.
“The United States welcomes the conclusion of Ethiopia’s landmark parliamentary elections … and welcomes the Sept. 5 conclusions of the Carter Center concerning the credibility of the elections, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.
The Carter Center is a think tank founded by former President Jimmy Carter. Among its activities is to monitor elections in nascent democracies.
“These elections stand out as a milestone in creating a new, more competitive multiparty political system in one of Africa’s largest and most important countries,” McCormack said. “Because reported election irregularities raised concerns about transparency, we will work with the international community and the Ethiopian government and parties to strengthen the electoral process.”
He urged all political parties to continue participating in the political process.
(AP/ST)