The May 2010 elections were the fourth to be held since the end of the military regime of Mr. Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991. The first three were all won by the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
In the previous elections (May 2005), the EPRDF, led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, won 327 of the 547 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives. Its ally, the Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP), took 24 seats. The opposition won a total of 173 seats, as follows: the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), 109 seats; the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), 52; the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), 11; the Argoba National Democratic Organization (ANDO), one.
The EPRDF comprises several ethnic-based parties. They include Mr. Meles's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which took 38 seats in 2005, the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM, 87), the Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO, 110) and the South Ethiopia People's Democratic Movement (92).
Following the 2005 elections, the opposition parties accused the EPRDF government of election fraud and organised street protests. More than 200 people, including seven police officers, died. Over 70 opposition members and journalists - including CUD leader Hailu Shawul and another prominent CUD member, Ms. Birtukan Mideksa - were arrested. In July 2007, the High Court sentenced 30 of the 38 CUD leaders on trial to life in prison.
In July 2007, President Girma Woldegiorgis pardoned all 38 CUD members. In January 2008, Mr. Shawul went into self-imposed exile in the United States. There was a resulting internal split in the CUD. In June 2008, Ms. Mideksa helped found Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) and was subsequently elected as its leader. In December 2008, she was re-arrested for challenging the official version of the circumstances that led to her release. Her pardon was revoked, her life sentence re-instated. Despite mounting local and international pressure, Ms. Mideksa had not been released from prison prior to the 2010 elections.
In the meantime, in October 2009, Prime Minister Meles was renewed as leader of the EPRDF for another five years. In November 2009, 26 people were convicted on charges of planning a coup against the Government, which claimed that Mr. Shawul had masterminded the operation.
In 2010, 2,188 candidates - including 272 women - representing 63 political parties were vying for seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives.
The EPRDF campaigned on its record in office. It pledged to maintain its agricultural policy and health and education services. Prime Minister Meles pledged to organize a peaceful election in 2010. The opposition accused the government of keeping tight control over the media and independent organizations.
The biggest opposition force in 2010 was a UDJ-led eight-party alliance, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum (FORUM), known as "Medrek" (meaning "forum" in Amharic). The FORUM was headed by a senior UDJ leader, Mr. Merera Gudina, and backed by former president Negaso Gidada. The FORUM called for greater development of industry and services, opposing the Government's focus on agriculture. It also promised to grant farmers the right to own land, which is currently all held by the State. On 16 May, an opposition member of the outgoing legislature, Ms. Asnaketch Balcha, was arrested and sentenced to six months for contempt of court two days later.
The All Ethiopian Unity Organization (AEUO), which had been a part of the CUD in 2005, ran in the 2010 elections on its own platform under the leadership of Mr. Shawul. The AEUO called for the release of other CUD prisoners (who had been imprisoned on charges other than the 2005 election riot).
According to the Election Commission, 93.44 per cent of nearly 32 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
European Union (EU) observers said the elections were peaceful and well organized but failed to meet international standards. They added that the EU had received numerous reports of harassment and intimidation. The African Union (AU) observer mission said the elections had been largely consistent with AU guidelines and standards for the conduct of democratic elections.
The preliminary results gave a resounding victory to the EPRDF and its allies, which together took 545 of the 547 seats at stake. The EPRDF alone swept 499 seats. The FORUM won only one seat, and one independent was elected. In all, 152 women were elected.
The FORUM and the AEUO claimed election fraud, especially in remote areas where observation was difficult. FORUM leader Merera called for fresh elections. The Government denied the allegation and accused the opposition of trying to find excuses for its overwhelming defeat.
On 31 May, 14 Ethiopian opposition parties announced that they accepted the election results, stating that the general elections had been held in a peaceful and democratic manner. They included the CUD, the Oromo National Congress (ONC), the All Ethiopia Democratic Party (AEDP), the All Ethiopia National Movement (AENM), the Ethiopian Vision Party (EVP) and the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Movement (EDUM).
On 21 June, the Election Commission announced the final results, confirming the preliminary results.
On 4 October, the newly elected House of People's Representatives held its first session and elected Mr. Abadula Gemeda Dego (OPDO) as its new Speaker.
On 6 October, President Woldegiorgis granted a pardon to Ms. Mideksa. |
