Leaders of Medrek, Ethiopia’s major opposition coalition, Dr. Negasso Gidada, Mr. Seye Abraha and Mr. Bulcha Demeksa, describe the state of political campaigning in Ethiopia in an article published in the Globe & Mail and authored by Geoffrey York. They all agree that the ruling party (TPLF) has instituted a noxious cloud of intimidation, surveillance and fear that prevents the opposition from freely campaigning for the upcoming election.

Ethiopian election a campaign of intimidation – By Geoffrey York

Six months before a crucial election, one of Ethiopia’s small band of opposition MPs has a simple question: How can he campaign for votes when he cannot even hold a public meeting or meet voters freely?

Negaso Gidada, a former president of Ethiopia and now an independent MP, tried to visit his constituents in southern Ethiopia recently. It was an arduous journey …

Another opposition leader, Seeye Abraha, is a former close ally of Mr. Meles from the early 1970s when they were both young revolutionaries fighting the military junta known as the Derg, which they finally overthrew in 1991. He became the defence minister but was jailed for six years on corruption allegations after a falling out with Mr. Meles. Now he says he is under constant surveillance, his phones and e-mails monitored, his movements constantly followed by security agents.

“In restaurants, spies sit close to me, and you can’t ask them to leave,” he says. “There is no private life, no private property. And there is nowhere you can complain. You can go to the police, but they will do nothing” …

In a desperate effort to communicate with voters, the opposition sometimes tries to distribute cellphones to its supporters. If it sends campaign letters to voters, the letters must be kept hidden from security agents. “Families are afraid to pass the letters from one to another,” said Bulcha Demeksa, an MP who heads an opposition party …

– Full Story (The Globe & Mail)