NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ethiopian general election, 2005

Ethiopia held general elections on May 15, 2005, for seats in both its national and in four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this election would be proof that more democracy would come in this multi-ethnic nation; international elections observers from the European Union and the U.S.-based Carter Center were present to observe the results. This election succeeded in attracting about 90% of the registered voters to the polls. A government ban on protests was imposed throughout the election period. This page contains a list of heads of state of Ethiopia since 1974. ... Girma Wolde-Giorgis Lucha (born December 1924) is the President of Ethiopia. ... List of Heads of Government of Ethiopia (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- See also Ethiopia Rulers and Heads of State of Ethiopia List of Presidents of Ethiopia Lists of office-holders ... Meles Zenawi (Legesse Zenawi Asres) (Geez áˆ˜áˆˆáˆµ á‹œáŠ“á‹Š meles zÄ“nÄwÄ«) (b. ... The Parliament of Ethiopia consists of two chambers: The House of Federation (Upper Chamber) The House of Peoples Representatives (Lower Chamber) This politics-related article is a stub. ... The House of Federation (Amharic language á‹¨áŒá‹´áˆ¬áˆ½áŠ• áˆáŠáˆ á‰¤á‰µ Yefedereshn Mekir Bet) is the upper house of the bicamerial Parliament of Ethiopia of Ethiopia. ... The Federal Parliamentary Assembly of Ethiopia has two chambers. ... Politics of Ethiopia Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Ethiopia ... Political parties in Ethiopia lists political parties in Ethiopia. ... Ethiopia was relatively isolated from major movements of world politics until the 1895 and 1935 Italian invasions. ... During the post-World War II era, Ethiopia received small amounts of economic development aid from such countries as the United States and Sweden. ... According to the U.S. Department of Stateâ€™s human rights report for 2004 and similar sources, the Ethiopian governmentâ€™s human rights record is poor. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Politics of Ethiopia Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Ethiopia ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of heads of government of Ethiopia (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations See also Ethiopia Rulers and Heads of State of Ethiopia List of Presidents of Ethiopia Lists of office-holders ... Meles Zenawi (Legesse Zenawi Asres) (Geez áˆ˜áˆˆáˆµ á‹œáŠ“á‹Š meles zÄ“nÄwÄ«) (b. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library The Carter Center is a human rights organization, founded in 1982 and chaired by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. ...

Early results

Early results showed the opposition with a big lead, sweeping all of the contested seats in the capital Addis both in the race for parliamentary as well as local government. By the afternoon of the 16th of May, the opposition was halfway towards winning a majority in the national parliament with only about a third of the constituencies reporting complete results. Late on May 16, trailing badly in the preliminary report covering just under 200 seats released by the National Election Board, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) announced that it had won more than 300 seats, while conceding that opposition parties won all 23 seats in the capital city Addis Ababa. The two major opposition parties, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) claimed on that same day that they had won 185 of the approximately 200 seats for which the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) had released preliminary results. That was a significant improvement over the 12 seats the opposition had in the previous parliament. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... The Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF, is the ruling political party of Ethiopia. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting Addis Ababa (in red). ... The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (commonly referred to as CUD, or occasionally as CDU) is a coalition of four existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. ... The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (or UEDF) is a coalition of several existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. ...

By law, the NEBE was required to announce the official results on June 8. However, the vote tallying process was jeopardized when, during the evening of May 16, the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency, outlawed any public gathering, assumed direct command of the security forces, and replaced the capital city police with federal police and special forces drawn from elite army units. The NEBE, simultaneously, ordered the vote tallying process to stop, an order which was not rescinded for nearly a week, yet another action against which the opposition and the independent election monitors strongly objected.

The next official report from the NEBE, released on May 27, showed that the EPRDF had won 209 seats, and affiliated parties 12 more. The report indicated the opposition parties had won 142 seats. "These results are provisional, and these results could change because we are looking into complaints by some of the parties," said NEBE spokesman Getahun Amogne. May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ...

Alleged voting irregularities

The CUD lodged complaints in 139 constituencies, the UEDF lodged 89 complaints, while the EPRDF has raised concerns over irregularities in more than 50 seats. Including the complaints lodged by small parties, complaints concerning the results in 299 parliamentary seats were lodged. According to an official of the NEBE, political parties had until June 3 to provide evidence of fraud, or their complaints would be dismissed. However, investigations led to elections being re-run at a minimum of 16 voting stations, and affecting elections for at least six seats.^[1] June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ...

Provisional results were scheduled to be released on May 23, but the need to investigate claims of voting irregularities and disruptions in two southern regions — Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Oromia — have pushed the release of these results back to June 8, the date originally scheduled for releasing the official results. While the ruling party has unofficially been reported the winner of the election, demonstrations were held protesting alleged election fraud. Demonstrations continued into June 2005, as hundreds of students were arrested for demonstrating in spite of a month-old ban on protests imposed on the government. On June 8, police shot 42 people gathering at the Piazza and Merkato markets of Addis Ababa.^[2] The government afterwards stated that an appropriate level of force was used and accused the CUD of fomenting dissent; the CUD denied these accusations, and claimed that the government was attempting to distract attention from election fraud. This led to the leaders of the CUD, including head Hailu Shawul, being put under house arrest while hundreds of security forces patrolled the streets of the capital. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Ethiopia is divided into 9 ethnically-based administrative regions (kililoch; singular - kilil): Afar Amhara Benishangul-Gumaz Gambela Hariai Oromia Somali Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region Tigray Additionally, there are two chartered cities (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akabibi): Addis Ababa Dire Dawa These administrative regions replaced the older system of... Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region. ... Oromo flag The land of the Oromo Nation is known as Oromia (sometimes spelled Oromiya). ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting Addis Ababa (in red). ... Hailu Shawul (also spelled Shawel; Shawil) (born 1936) is an Ethiopian engineer and the chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD). ...

Official results

On July 8, the NEBE released the first official results for 307 of the 547 national parliamentary seats. Of the 307 seats, the EPRDF had won 139, while CUD and UEDF won 93 and 42, respectively. Smaller parties and independent candidates won the remaining 33 seats. However, Berhanu Nega, vice-chairman of the CUD, had criticized the process on July 20, claiming that "The investigation process was a complete failure. Our representatives and witnesses have been harassed, threatened, barred and killed upon their return from the hearings." July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Meanwhile, the NEBE continues to investigate voting fraud and other irregularities, while also arranging new polls to resolve some disputes. On August 9, official results were released, acknowledging that the ruling EPRDF had won 296 of the total 524 seats — about 56 % — enabling it to form a government, while its allied parties won 22 seats. The UEDF won 52 seats. Berhanu said his party, which had officially won 109 seats, was debating whether they would challenge the results in court. Repeat elections were scheduled for August 21 in 31 areas where either irregularities were reported or results were challenged. August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Opposition parties had decided to boycott the related August 21 elections in the Somali Region. The CUD withdrew 10 of the 17 candidates it was fielding in Somali region, but the Western Somali Democratic Party, the Somali Democratic Alliance Forces and Del Wabe People's Democratic Movement who had planned to field 43 candidates for the Federal Parliamentary Assembly and 273 candidates for the regional parliament in the regional capital of Jijiga, also announced that they would boycott this election. Map of Ethiopia highlighting the Somali region. ... Western Somali Democratic Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... Jijiga is a city in eastern Ethiopia, located approximately 80 km east of Harar and 60 km west of the border with Somaliland. ...

On September 5, the NEBE released its final results, in which the EPRDF retained its control of the government with 327 seats, or 59 % of the vote. Opposition parties won 174 seats, or 32 % of the vote. The CUD alone won 20 % of the vote. September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ...

class="preview" id="pv70"> May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federal Parliamentary Assembly of Ethiopia has two chambers. ... The Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF, is the ruling political party of Ethiopia. ... The Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO) is an ethnic-based political party in Ethiopia, which is allied with the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Front and the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front to form the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). ... The Amhara National Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (commonly referred to as CUD, or occasionally as CDU) is a coalition of four existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. ... The Ethiopian Democratic League is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The All Ethiopian Unity Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The United Ethiopian Democratic Party-Medhin Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (or UEDF) is a coalition of several existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. ... The Oromo National Congress is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Ethiopian Social Democratic Federal Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Southern Ethiopia Peoples Democratic Coalition is a political party in Ethiopia. ... All-Amhara Peoples Organization. ... The Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Somali Peoples Democratic Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Benishangul Gumuz Peopleâ€™s Democratic Unity Front is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Afar National Democratic Party is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Gambella Peoplesâ€™ Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Sheko and Mezenger Peoples Democratic Unity Organization is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Harari National League is a political party in Ethiopia. ... The Argoba National Democratic Organization is a political party in Ethiopia. ...

Protest

Protests of the results, led by Coalition for Democracy and Unity, began on November 1, 2005, and have prompted more than 60,000 arrests. Live gunfire from government forces has been directed at protesters and bystanders, killing at least 42. A number of policemen were also killed suggesting that violence was not all on the side of the state. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ...

Massacre claims and public inquiry

On October 18, 2006, the draft report of a 10-member public inquiry into election-related unrests was released to Associated Press (AP). It concludes that a total of 199 people (193 civilians and six policemen) were killed and 763 were injured, a significantly higher figure than the Ehtiopian government's claim that 61 civilians and seven policemen were killed. The vice chairman of the inquiry, judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha, who fled Ethiopia a month prior after he had received anonymous death threats, told AP that "this was a massacre ... these demonstrators were unarmed yet the majority died from shots to the head." He added that the government attempted to pressure and intimidate members of the inquiry after learning about its controversial finding. ^[3] The Ethiopian government did not immediately comment on the leaked report, but the next day, it told BBC that its contents were "hearsay." The European Union's chief observer during the elections, Ana Maria Gomes, stated that the draft report "only confirms what we have said in our report on the elections," and "that indeed there were massive human rights violations." ^[4] Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of Â£4 billion. ... Ana Maria Gomes is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party; part of the Party of European Socialists. ...

Notes

Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of Â£4 billion. ... October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: Current events | 2005 elections | Elections in Ethiopia The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of Â£4 billion. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), founded in 1992, is a global network of more than 60 Non-governmental organisation that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression. ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Integrated Regional Information Networks, commonly known as IRIN, is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tasked with providing information relevant to those responding to and affected by complex emergencies, such a conflict-induced forced migration, and natural disasters, such as hurricanes and... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Subcategories There are 3 subcategories to this category. ...

Contents

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