Ethiopian general election, 2010

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Ethiopian general election, 2010
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All 547 seats to the House of Peoples' Representatives
274 seats needed for a majority

  First party
  Meles Zenawi.jpg
Leader Meles Zenawi
Party Tigrayan People's Liberation Front
Alliance Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Last election 327
Seats won 499
Seat changeIncrease2.svg172
Prime Minister before election

Meles Zenawi
EPRDF

Prime Minister

Meles Zenawi
EPRDF

Ethiopia
Coat of arms of Ethiopia.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Ethiopia

A parliamentary election was held in Ethiopia on May 23, 2010.

Ethiopia country in East Africa

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent that covers a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa, which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.

Contents

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) reported that a total of 29,170,867 people were registered to vote in this election. [1] There was a total of 4,525 candidates running for the open positions—which included 546 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives; 1,349 of whom were members of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), 374 members of parties loosely aligned with the EPRDF, 2,798 members of opposition parties, and 4 independent candidates. [2]

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is an autonomous government agency which supervises the national elections of Ethiopia. The NEBE was established by Proclamation number 64/1992, and answers to the House of Peoples' Representatives.

House of Peoples Representatives

The House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower chamber of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly, the House of Federation being the upper chamber. Together they comprise the legislature of Ethiopia. The House has 547 members, elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies.

Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front Ethiopian political coalition

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is a left-wing political coalition in Ethiopia. The EPRDF consists of four political parties, namely Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM).

Run-up to the election

The incumbent party EPRDF and opposition parties have signed Election Code of Conduct. They have agreed on time allocation of public media, though the opposition leaders are complaining the time allocated to them saying that it is unfair for the ruling party to take the highest share of the time. Very recently they have started campaign debate that was transmitted on the public television, ETV. One opposition party, the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP), expressed its serious concern and walked out of the debate requesting the debate to be transmitted live and with the presence and in front of the public.[ citation needed ]

All Ethiopian Unity Party political party

The All Ethiopian Unity Party is a political party in Ethiopia. At the last legislative elections on 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy that won 109 out of 527 seats.

Based on the violence associated with the previous general election, on 13 April 2010 the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert "before and after national parliamentary elections scheduled for May 23, 2010, and recommends against all but essential travel to Ethiopia during this period." The travel alert pointed out that "U.S. citizens [should] ... maintain a high level of security awareness at all times and avoid political rallies, demonstrations, and crowds of any kind. U.S. citizens should avoid polling places on election day, and be aware that authorities will strictly enforce specific prohibitions such as photography at polling stations." [3]

Activists of opposition parties have expressed their concern that the election will lead to violence and that their supporters will be arrested and imprisoned. Beyene Petros was reported to have claimed to United States diplomatic personnel that "EPRDF cadres in Eastern Wolaita" attacked opposition party leaders and vandalized their cars when they attempted to register candidates in that part of Ethiopia. [4] Opposition leader Merera Gudina has stated that because the ruling EPRDF now controls all local administrations, this election will be a struggle to prevent Ethiopia from becoming a one-party state. [5] [6]

Beyene Petros (Ph.D.) is a professor of Biology at Addis Ababa University and a former member of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, representing an electoral district in Badawacho of Hadiya Zone. He is currently the chairman of one of the largest opposition political parties in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum Medrek.

Wolayita Zone

Wolayita is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. It is named for the Welayta people, whose homeland lies in this Zone. Wolayita is bordered on the south by Gamo Gofa, on the west by the Omo River which separates it from Dawro, on the northwest by Kembata Tembaro, on the north by Hadiya, on the northeast by the Oromia Region, on the east by the Bilate River which separates it from Sidama, and on the south east by the Lake Abaya which separates it from Oromia Region. The administrative centre of Wolayita is Sodo. Other major towns are Areka and Boditi.

Merera Gudina (Ph.D.) is a professor and politician in Ethiopia. He is the leader of the Oromo People's Congress (OPC), a political party representing the Oromo people. The organization is opposed to the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front. He has been described as Ethiopia's "leading opposition politician".

Results

According to early results released by the election board, the EPRDF was on course for victory, leading the vote count in all of Ethiopia's regions. [7] The chairman of the election board, Merga Bekana, announced that the EPRDF had "definitely" won the election following its lead in 9 of 11 regions that had reported results, including the former opposition-dominated region of Oromia. [8] [9] Human Rights Watch claimed the results were affected by government intimidation of voters over a period of months. [10] European Union observers stated the election was "peaceful and calm" but noted there were claims of irregularities. [8] 90% of eligible voters turned out for the election. [11]

Human Rights Watch New York City-based non-governmental organisation

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures some governments, policy makers and human rights abusers to denounce abuse and respect human rights, and the group often works on behalf of refugees, children, migrants and political prisoners.

European Union Economic and political union of European states

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2 (1,728,099 sq mi) and an estimated population of about 513 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. For travel within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.

Preliminary results, with 11 election districts not yet having reported results, are as follows: [12]

Opposition groups have rejected the election results, with both the Medrek coalition and the separate AEUP issuing calls for a re-run of the election. Both opposition groups say their observers were blocked from entering polling stations during the election on Sunday, May 23, and in some cases the individuals beaten. The United States and the European Union have both criticized the election as falling short of international standards. [13]

However, Ethiopian government officials defend the results as accurately reflecting the mood of the people. The Ethiopian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Berhanu Kebede, claimed that voters had rewarded Meles Zenawi and his party for their achievements. "The government has registered successful development and growth policies. There has been double-digit growth for the past seven years. Primary school and health sector coverage have greatly improved. There has been more investment in infrastructure in the past 10 years than in the previous 100." [12]

On 21 June 2010, the NEBE released the final election results, which confirmed the preliminary results from the previous month. [14] The EPRDF won 499 of the 547 available parliamentary seats, opposition or independent candidates won two seats, and EPRDF-allied parties won the remaining seats. [15] Additionally, the EPRDF won all but one of 1,904 council seats in regional elections. [15] The opposition had filed appeals with the election board and the Ethiopian Supreme Court, but both appeals were rejected. [15] On July 20, the Court of Cassation, Ethiopia's highest court, rejected the opposition's final appeal. [16]

Final Results

PartyLeader [17] Seats+/-
(from last election) [18]
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)* Meles Zenawi 499 +172
Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP)*Abdulfetah Sheck Abdulahi24 +1
Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Party (BGPDP)*Habtamu Hika9 +1
Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP)* Mohamed Kedir 8 +/-0
Gambela People's Democratic Movement (GPDM)*Umod Obong Alum3 +/-0
Argoba People's Democratic Organization (APDO)*Abdulkadir Mohamed1 +1
Hareri National League (HNL)*Yasin Husein1 +/-0
Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek) Birtukan Mideksa 1 +1
Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD)Ayele Chamiso0 -109
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) Bulcha Demeksa 0 -11
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) Beyene Petros 0 -52
Independent 1 +/-0
Total547 +/-0

*=Allied with EPRDF.

International observers

European election observers said that the election fell short of international standards. According to Human Rights Watch the government had a strategy to systematically close down space for political dissent and independent criticism. [19]

According to Amnesty International the final report of the EU Election Observation Mission highlighted violations of freedom of expression, assembly and movement of opposition party members; misuse of state resources by the ruling party; and a lack of independent media coverage. The Prime Minister described the report as "useless trash" and the Chief EU Observer was not granted access to Ethiopia to present the final report. [20]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Registered Voters for 2010 General Election /By Region/" (accessed 16 May 2010)
  2. ↑ "Number of Political Parties and Independent Candidates for Regional Councils /2010 General Election/" (accessed 16 May 2010)
  3. ↑ "Travel Alert: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs", 13 April 2010 (accessed 16 April 2010)
  4. ↑ "10ADDISABABA328: ETHIOPIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT" (WikiLeaks cable)
  5. ↑ "Potential For Violence Shadows Ethiopia's 2010 Election", Voice of America website (accessed 30 November 2009)
  6. ↑ "US concerned at restrictions on Ethiopia opposition"
  7. ↑ "Meles Zenawi's party 'leads' in Ethiopia's election". BBC News . British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Ethiopia ruling party set for sweep". Al-Jazeera. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Malone, Barry (24 May 2010). "Ethiopia's ruling party on course for landslide". Reuters . Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  10. ↑ Powell, Anita (24 May 2010). "Early results: Ethiopia's ruling party won vote". Associated Press . Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  11. ↑ McConnell, Tristan (25 May 2010). "Western ally wins landslide in Ethiopia amid vote rigging claims". The Times. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  12. 1 2 Xan Rice, "Unease over extent of ruling party's landslide in Ethiopia", The Guardian, published 26 May 2010 (accessed 10 June 2010)
  13. ↑ "Ethiopia Opposition Leaders Call for New Vote", Voice of America website, published 26 May 2010
  14. ↑ "Ethiopia: ruling party landslide confirmed". Google News. AP. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  15. 1 2 3 "Ethiopia ruling party, allies win 99% of vote: result". Google News. AFP. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  16. ↑ Malone, Barry (July 20, 2010). "Ethiopia court rejects final poll result challenge". Google News . Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Political Parties that are Actively Participating in the Election", THE NATIONAL ELECTORAL BOARD OF ETHIOPIA (NEBE), 2010
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Human Rights Watch World Report 2011 Archived April 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . page 121
  20. ↑ Amnesty International report 2011 [ permanent dead link ]
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