ETHIOPIA: New Election Code Sparks Furore (IPS)
ADDIS ABABA, Dec 8 (IPS) – Opposition parties are troubled by what they say is government’s strategy to keep them out of the general elections in May 2010.
They accuse the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of harassment. This includes arrests, obstruction of public meetings, and even murder. A recent binding document called Elections Code of Conduct for Political Parties, and lamented by opposition parties as a government weapon to delay election complaint procedures and punish disputes, is seen as part of the harassment.
Major opposition parties like the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), for example, allege this ‘nuisance’ is part of EPRDF’s strategy to stop opposition members from running in the elections.
But senior EPRDF and government officials say they are not aware of such harassment, only the arrest of suspected criminals regardless of their affiliation.
“When elections approach, the government activates different strategies to incriminate our candidates, to discourage them from running in the elections,” said Professor Beyene Petros, deputy chairman of organisational affairs at the Forum for Democratic Dialogue in Ethiopia (FDDE), a coalition of eight opposition bodies.
»» BACK TO MAIN PAGE
Write Your Comment Below.
RULES FOR COMMENTING:
Gadaa.com values your inputs, and to maintain a positive environment of discussion, the following rules will be enforced for comments. When you click SUBMIT COMMENT below, you are agreeing to abide by the following rules.
1. Comments are moderated. Your comment appears below after it has been approved by a Gadaa.com Admin.
2. If you use different names to post comments, we will delete all of your comments.
3. Apply common-sense respect and courtesy.
4. By submitting your comments, you take all the responsibility, legal or otherwise, for your comments.
5. Comments are naturally short. Long comments may not be approved.
6. Frequent offenders of the above rules will lose future posting privileges.
