Ethiopian general election, 2010
Encyclopedia
A parliamentary election was held in Ethiopia
on May 23, 2010.
The National Election Board of Ethiopia
(NEBE) reported that a total of 29,170,867 people were registered to vote in this election. There was a total of 4525 candidates running for the open positions—which included 546 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives—1349 of whom were members of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF), 374 members of parties loosely aligned with the EPRDF, 2798 members of opposition parties, and 4 independent candidates.
. 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.
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."
Activists of opposition parties have expressed their concern that the election will lead to violence and that their supporters will be arrested and imprisoned. Opposition leader Merera Gudina has stated that because the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF) now controls all local administrations, this election will be a struggle to prevent Ethiopia from becoming a one-party state.
claimed the results were affected by government intimidation of voters over a period of months. European Union
observers stated the election was "peaceful and calm" but noted there were claims of irregularities. 90% of eligible voters turned out for the election.
Preliminary results, with 11 election districts not yet having reported results, are as follows:
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.
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 polices. 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."
On 21 June 2010, the NEBE released the final election results, which confirmed the preliminary results from the previous month. 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. Additionally, the EPRDF won all but one of 1,904 council seats in regional elections. The opposition had filed appeals with the election board and the Ethiopian Supreme Court, but both appeals were rejected. On July 20, the Court of Cassation, Ethiopia's highest court, rejected the opposition's final appeal.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
on May 23, 2010.
The National Election Board of Ethiopia
National Election Board of Ethiopia
The National Election Board of Ethiopia 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....
(NEBE) reported that a total of 29,170,867 people were registered to vote in this election. There was a total of 4525 candidates running for the open positions—which included 546 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives—1349 of whom were members of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
(EPRDF), 374 members of parties loosely aligned with the EPRDF, 2798 members of opposition parties, and 4 independent candidates.
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, ETVETV (Ethiopia)
ETV is an Ethiopian government-owned television channel. It's the only one in Ethiopia due government ban of private media. Its programming includes news, sport, music and other entertainment...
. One opposition party, the All Ethiopian Unity Party
All Ethiopian Unity 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....
(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.
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."
Activists of opposition parties have expressed their concern that the election will lead to violence and that their supporters will be arrested and imprisoned. Opposition leader Merera Gudina has stated that because the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
(EPRDF) now controls all local administrations, this election will be a struggle to prevent Ethiopia from becoming a one-party state.
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. 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. Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
claimed the results were affected by government intimidation of voters over a period of months. European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
observers stated the election was "peaceful and calm" but noted there were claims of irregularities. 90% of eligible voters turned out for the election.
Preliminary results, with 11 election districts not yet having reported results, are as follows:
- EPRDF: 499 seats
- allied parties: 35 seats
- opposition parties: 2 seats
Opposition groups have rejected the election results, with both the Medrek
Medrek
Medrek is an Ethiopian opposition political coalition founded in 2008 which contested the Ethiopian general election, 2010. In that election, Medrek won a single seat in the Council of People's Representatives, representing an electoral district in Addis Ababa. This was allegedly due to lack of...
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.
However, Ethiopian government officials defend the results as accurately reflecting the mood of the people. The Ethiopian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Berhanu Kebede
Berhanu Kebede
Berhanu Kebede is the current ambassador of Ethiopia to the United Kingdom. He was appointed in March 2006.Berhanu Kebede was born in Addis Ababa. He graduated in 1978 with a degree in economics from Addis Ababa University and continued his studies at the Free University of Brussels, earning M.A...
, claimed that voters had rewarded Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
and his party for their achievements. "The government has registered successful development and growth polices. There has been double-digit growth for the past seven years. Primary school
Education in Ethiopia
Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. Prior to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate well above 90% and compared poorly with the rest of Africa in the provision of schools and...
and health sector coverage
Health in Ethiopia
Metrics of health in Ethiopia are among the world's worst. According to the U.S. government, Ethiopia's health care system is wholly inadequate, even after recent improvements. The Ethiopian government has launched a campaign to improve the health care system....
have greatly improved. There has been more investment in infrastructure in the past 10 years than in the previous 100."
On 21 June 2010, the NEBE released the final election results, which confirmed the preliminary results from the previous month. 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. Additionally, the EPRDF won all but one of 1,904 council seats in regional elections. The opposition had filed appeals with the election board and the Ethiopian Supreme Court, but both appeals were rejected. On July 20, the Court of Cassation, Ethiopia's highest court, rejected the opposition's final appeal.
External links
- Jason McClure, "Candidate Is Stabbed to Death in Ethiopia", New York Times (published 2 March 2010)
- "Ethiopian Opposition Parliamentary Candidate Killed (Update1)", Business Week/Bloomsberg website (originally published 2 March 2010)