Second Opposition Faction Preparing Boycott, EPRDF virtually running unopposed
April 15th, 2008 | EthioPolitics.com |
UEDF chair Beyene Petros (L) OFDM chair Bulcha Demeksa (R)
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The biggest opposition party that participated in Ethiopia’s nationwide elections Sunday is planning to boycott the second part of the voting, charging the first half was rigged. Another, larger opposition group had pulled out even before the first vote.
VOA’s Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports the withdrawal of the two largest opposition factions would clear the way for Ethiopia’s ruling party to take control of local councils nationwide, and to increase its majority in parliament.
The leadership of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement voted Monday to join a boycott when Ethiopia votes in critical municipal elections next Sunday.
The OFDM had been the largest opposition party participating last Sunday, as Ethiopians voted for the first time since 2005, when post-election protests turned deadly. Two hundred people were killed in the violence, and thousands were jailed, including most opposition leaders.
OFDM leader Bulcha Demeksa says his party had decided not to join the boycott for the first part of the vote.
But Monday, he accused election officials and the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front of massive intimidation and rigging, and said his party would join the boycott.
“We went in for the sake of peace and stability in our country,” said Bulcha Demeksa. “We did not want to be the cause of any crisis. But when the government shows no willingness to cooperate, and wants to be the only party which governs ethiopia, then we have no hope. We cannot work with this kind of party. We have to quit and show the world we are not able to work with them.”
Bulcha says preliminary results indicate his party did not win a single race Sunday in which it entered a candidate. Official results were not immediately available, but reports from political leaders indicate the ruling EPRDF and its allies won huge majorities.
Bulcha told VOA his party was not just defeated, but obliterated. He says as a result, he may be silenced in parliament because he no longer commands the minimum ten seats necessary to be considered a party.
He accused the EPRDF of using the elections as a means of instituting one-party rule in Ethiopia.
“This is happening because the EPRDF wants to be the only party ruling Ethiopia,” said Bulcha. “We’ve heard it. They’ve said they believe in the so-called dominant party. They want through semi-legal means to eliminate all the political parties in Ethiopia and remain the only political party that keeps power in Ethiopia.”
National Election Board office chief Tesfaye Mengesha told VOA Monday that Sunday’s turnout compared well with the 2005 vote. He said 24 million had cast ballots. It is not clear what percentage of the voting age population that represents, because there is no current census information available for Ethiopia, but the total voting age population is estimated to be roughly 40 million.
VOA reporters found polling stations nearly empty for the most part, but election board official Tesfaye attributed that to the addition of thousands of new locations that made voting faster.
The Chief of the Political Bureau of the EPRDF, Bereket Simon, on Monday expressed general satisfaction with the election. He declined further comment until results are announced. Asked when results could be expected, he quipped, “it will be quicker than in Zimbabwe.”
Earlier, Bereket denied there had been any intimidation or vote-rigging. He said the election board had investigated opposition complaints and found them to be without merit.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s EPRDF is almost certain to sweep next Sunday’s elections, too. The party fielded nearly four million candidates for about 3.8 million positions being contested. The 32 opposition parties combined were able to register only a few thousand candidates. Opposition leaders complained in advance that as many as 98 percent of their prospective candidates had been rejected by election officials.
10 Responses to “Second Opposition Faction Preparing Boycott, EPRDF virtually running unopposed”
By aba mela on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
we all want to say from ADDIS, THERE IS A PROVERB IN AMHARIC, !!!yenate mekenet adenakefegne!!!
ABA Mela
By antiabamela on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
aba mela ur party likes running alone? who will win?………….we are all waiting to see. will government win or will the government win? tough question. maybe the government will win? no. i think the government has a good chance of beating the government. what do you think aba mela?
By Falmataa Oromiyaa on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I am not surprised by the election boycott of the opposition parties. But, I am surprised by their “boldness” to tell us “they can’t work with Woyane” after helping Woyane to have a legitimate image to kill our people for so many years.
More surprising is the opportunistic nature of Mr. Bulchaa Dmmaqsaa who claimed to have formed the surrogate organization which was running against the fundamental questions and aspirations of the Oromo people to be FREE!!!
Gantuun bakka hinqabdu. Nagayatti!!!
By John Micheal on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Oo fools Habasha!!!!!!
Did you forgot that you are Habash: Amhara,
Tigree, Gurage etc.
Millions who are Somalis,Oromo, Anfar,etc are
under your feet. they are united to free
themselves from your conolialisim. if there
is realy democracy it is not only Males who
lose. but all Habasha !!!! other language will
be the official language of country and its
name will changed to something elso. even the
religion will different.
Amharas losted power before 17 years, but they
never thought it when they were againist bitter
againist Mangistu Hail, now the all Habasha
will lose power to other people who are not
habasha. and you will regret it very late the
power is still in the hands of your cousin
the Tigrians, it is not far from you still
although you don’t like them. tommrow you will
hate what you have done when Ethiopia is gone
from your hands to lose to people who was in
Ethiopia but never believe they are Ethiopians
a people who hate all of you Amhara, Tigree,
and even Oromo Christians. if that day came all
what your forfather build will be gone.
think about it carefully.
By Medeksa on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
CULTURAL MASSGENOCIDE in progress in oromos regions.
Where is the Democracy,Where is the majority rule ??
Nothing has changed for people oromos, we oromos still foprced to speak neftegnas Amaras minority language within our own territory, Is`t that what we call cukltural domination and cultural supression ? ?
If there ought to be lasting peace between the great people of oromos and oppressor Amaras,then ‘Ethiopias National language should be changed from Amaras minority (Amharic) to ethiopias Majority (Afaan oromoffiaa).’
By Windsorite on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
In Democracy there is hard thinking and pain, and thinking in objective and subjective manner,but such rational pain interprate for better of tomorrow.
By chiro on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
Midheksaa,
you are NOT oromo.how much they pay you?
By Almi on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
You are all a bunch of chicken head. Don’t even think about democracy. Think something from Obama, never said black, white, green, yellow, etc. etc. All he said we the people of America. What’s wrong with you? Who cares who is ruling Ethiopia unless he is a divider? Tigree, Gurage, or Oromo they are all Ethiopians. So stop dividing. We are not fighting with Tigree tribe, I’m sorry Meles happens to be from Tigree tribe which is not the issue, the issue is he is divider, Stalinist, Marxist very idiot running like chicken to keep his power.
By Medeksaa on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
CULTURAL MASS GENOCIDE still in progress in every oromo regions.
Since the invasion of King Menelike, The Amaras tribalist kings were trying to weaken nutralize and vanish the Oromos culture,history and language.
For the last 100 years during Amara dominated governments The Oromos were barred from using their own language, and still the oromos chioldrens throughout oromos regions forced to learn Amara minority language (Amharic) by abandoning their own oromos history and oromos culture and oromos langauge.
By Geremew on Apr 19, 2008 | Reply
I did not know that the Amara king invaded oromos, What was oromos territory then and language before the invasion ?