Ethiopia votes, opposition coalition complains vote rigging

May 23, 2010(ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopians across nation on Sunday went to polls for the 4th round general elections, however Ethiopia’s largest opposition coalition argues irregularities in the electoral process.

Polling stations opened early this morning at 6:00 a.m. local time for the 32 million eligible voters nationwide with dozens of voters queued at dawn to vote before polls opened.

A total of 63 different political parties including the ruling party Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) are competing on who leads the horn of Africa’s nation for the next five years.

All voters Sudan tribune manage to speak to in the capital and in regions said that they have witnessed free, peaceful and democratic elections.

Many of the Main political opponents Sudan Tribune spoke to said that the electoral process was peaceful and expressed readiness to accept final results and use legal ways for any inconvenience.

However, Ethiopia’s largest opposition bloc, Medrek, few hours after Sunday’s voting began complained that there was voter intimidation and vote-rigging by the ruling party aimed to sweep an easy victory.

Medrek spokesman, former Ethiopian president, Negasso Gidada said some of his party’s observers have been blocked and arrested in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region, strong holds of the ruling party, and others have been intimidated in southern Ethiopia.

“We think we may not accept the results,” Negasso told reporters.

Government spokesman Bereket Simon immediately dismissed the complains saying “this is a total fabrication aimed to undermine election process”.

“If they drew an early conclusion on the election results before it’s officially declared by the electoral body, it means they knew ahead they will lose,” he said

“They know they have lost it squarely.” He added.

Ethiopia electoral board in a statement responded to the opposition remarks saying as “an healthy comments that violates agreed election code of conduct”.

“No one can speak about election results and can’t go to conclusions while voting is in progress and unless electoral board announces results.”

“The opposition remarks undermines votes of the people and is deliberately orchestrated to disrupt the peaceful election process” the board added.

There was a high voter’s turn out in many Polling stations in the capital with voters lined-up in long queue to cast their votes into the ballot box smoothly and peacefully.

The government has said some 200 observers from the European Union and the African Union are deployed across nation to monitor the voting along with 40,000 local observers.

All the contending political parties have delegated a total of 2,205 candidates, vying for 547 federal and 4,734 regional parliamentary seats, according to the National Electoral Board.

Voting across nation has ended 6 pm this afternoon. Ethiopia electoral board earlier in a statement said that voting across country has ended peacefully and vote counting has began. The board added that it will begin to announce results as of tomorrow May 24, 2010.

(ST)