May 25, 2010 Merara Gudina, one of the top officials of the eight-party Medrek opposition coalition, said a meeting of the bloc would later on Tuesday decide on the next course of action.
ADDIS ABABA (Ethiopia) - A SENIOR Ethiopian opposition figure on Tuesday said parliamentary polls in which the ruling party has taken an early lead were riddled with fraud.
Merara Gudina, one of the top officials of the eight-party Medrek opposition coalition, said a meeting of the bloc would later on Tuesday decide on the next course of action.
'I don't see any reason why we should accept the results that were completely fraudulent,' said Mr Merara, explaining he was speaking on his own behalf. 'They took over all aspects of the electoral adminstration, including the count,' he added, referring to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling party.
The electoral panel announced on Monday that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was headed for a landslide in all regions, including the capital where the opposition came out on top in 2005. 'We are currently looking at what measures we should take next at a party meeting today,' he said.
Mr Merara pointed to preliminary results indicating that his bloc had 'lost completely' in its heartland of Oromiya as evidence to support his fraud claims. Another oppostion leader however ruled out the possibility of calling for protests as the opposition did in disputed polls five years ago. 'What we are going to do after we get the results is that we give our statement, and if we have evidence we'll appeal to the Nebe (poll panel). If it doesn't solve our problem, we'll go to court,' Negaso Gidada, another leading member of Medrek, told AFP. 'We are not going to call demonstration or rallies but just follow the legal process,' he added.
Around 200 were killed in 2005 in a government crackdown on opposition followers after Mr Meles had also been accused of rigging the vote. Opposition leaders in several parts of the country complained that voters were intimidated and their observers barred from many polling stations, leaving room for ballot box-stuffing. The European Union's observation mission chief Thijs Berman on Sunday said the vote was 'peaceful and calm' while the election commission said it had no evidence of fraud. A coalition of Ethiopian civil society groups also called the elections 'free, fair and democratic.' The US-based Human Rights Watch organisation however has accused the government and ruling party officials of intimidating voters and imposing unlawful restrictions on the media ahead of the elections. -- AFP
