Ethiopia’s main opposition election re-run appeal rejected

June 18, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia’s supreme court on Friday rejected an election re-run appeal by the country’s biggest opposition coalition over the ruling party’s land slide victory that led to nearly a one-party state after staying for almost two decades in power.

The ruling, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF )and its allies swept their way to a 545 seats in the 547-member parliament on the country’s May 23 national elections which the Europe Union and the US criticized the polls saying it failed to meet international standards.

Ethiopian Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek), an umbrella opposition group of eight political parties filed an appeal with the electoral body and demanded an election re-run, alleging a wide electoral irregularities, fraud and intimidation against its supporters and its potential candidates.

“The supreme court has rejected all the appeals by Forum as are against legal proper procedures and lacked tangible evidence enough to support the rigging claims” Supreme Court Judge Asegid Gashaw said.

In 2005, post election violence was triggered on accusations of vote rigging has claimed the lives of some 200 protesters in Addis Ababa street riots.

The opposition Medrek accused country’s judges calling them as they were government puppets directly involved with the ruling party’s rigging conspiracy. However The Court said the election was conducted as per the time table set earlier and complaints were solved at various stages in accordance with the election law, regulation and directives.

Statement of the Supreme Court said, “According to article 92/11 of the election law courts shall not see cases which were not seen by election executive bodies at various levels and by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE)”

(ST)