US Senator urges Int’l community to be watchful on Ethiopian polls
May 22, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs expressed doubts on the credibility of Ethiopia’s elections, urging the US and the international community to closely watch the polls.
Senator Russ Feingold in a statement on Friday urged contesting parties in Ethiopia to stay away from violence.
“As Ethiopians head to the polls this Sunday, I urge all parties to refrain from violence and intimidation,” Senator Russ Feingold said.
Ethiopia’s national elections will be opened tomorrow, on May 23, amid mounting concerns by the opposition activists that the process could unleash a new wave of violence and arrests.
Some 32 million Ethiopian’s will go to polls tomorrow to cast their votes in the horn of Africa country’s parliamentary and regional elections , the first since a disputed 2005 poll ended with street riots in which 193 protesters and seven policemen died.
Ethiopian officials including Prime Minister Meles zenawi have repeatedly pledged to hold fair, peaceful, fair and democratic elections and said mistakes like one in 2005 election won’t be happen this time.
Senator Feingold however said that the conditions for fair and free elections do not exist in Ethiopia.
“Since the 2005 elections, the ruling party has been moving toward consolidation of power and control that has left independent voices in the country virtually under siege,” he said.
The US Senator blamed the Ethiopian government for restricting the political space throughout the country, and the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly exercised by opposition candidates have been deeply restricted.
He further urged the Obama administration and the international community to be vigilant and to tread cautiously when determining the credibility of these elections.
Few hours now for Ethiopian polls to open, the situation across the country is currently going very smooth and calm. The ruling EPRDF party and Opposition political parties in different outlets are expressing readiness to accept election outcomes despite what the results appear to be.
Speaking to state radio and Television agency, Ethiopian prime minister today advised political rivals to abide by agreed election code of conduct and to refrain from any sort of violence instead to use the legal means for any complains they could have.
Some 62 political parties are contesting in Ethiopia’s 2010 election. Over 200, thousand observers’ are deployed across the country. The EU and AU, the only two foreign observers mission accredited, have deployed 200 observers.
(ST)