Registration of Ethiopia’s opposition CUDP rejected for the second time

Mar 18, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian authorities rejected for the second time, a request to form a new opposition political party (Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party) formulated by three parties on March 7.

According to the Reporter, The Political Parties Registration office rejected the demand on the ground that the submitted application and documents do not fulfil the necessary legal requirements.

The new party’s objectives and date of establishment as well as the meaning of the party’s emblem were not explained in the documents submitted to the board.

The three parties of the CUDP are: The All-Ethiopia Unity Party (AEUP), Rainbow Ethiopia-Movement for Democracy and Social Justice, and The Ethiopian Democratic League (EDL).

In last November, the registration office said that the CUDP merger is technically closed, this decision is justified by the absence of legal representatives to discuss the merger with them or their refusal of merger.

November rejection was also motivated by the question of the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party – Medhin (EDUP-Medhin), one of the constituent parties of Ethiopia’s main opposition, CUDP. The Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party-Medhin (EDUP- Medhin) didn’t put its stamp and the one that was on the document of merger was a fake one counterfeited without any permission of the board, the registration office said.

(ST)