From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri May 28 2010 - 13:17:07 EDT
Zenawi's Ethiopian election sting
By Andrew Simmons in Addis Ababa
Friday,May 28, 2010
Shortly after dawn Ethiopia's capital was filled with the sound of loud
hailers, the horns of flatbed lorries packed with people and the distorted
blast of sound systems playing music.
Roads in Addis Ababa on Tuesday were blocked by paramilitary police in pale
blue combat uniforms. A helicopter with a surveillance camera zoomed in on
the crowded streets below.
The ruling party had planned it this way well in advance - the heart of
Addis to be taken over for celebrations. Tens of thousands of people
awaiting the message from one time guerilla fighter turned Africa statesman,
father of three, Meles Zenawi.
Twelve hours earlier a posse of media had waited patiently outside a single
storey building the size of a school classroom - the place where the
National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) was to make its pronouncement on
provisional results.
'Tell us who won!'
It turned out to be a haphazard affair. First Merga Bekana, the board
chairman, struggled with spreadsheets beamed onto a rough plaster wall from
a projector.
As he decided to abandon the presentation and send a messenger to get a
printout of the provisional results, an American reporter barked: "Just tell
us who won!"
Meskel Square was a hive of activity. With security forces all around this
historic square in darkness, construction work was going on to assemble a
dais for the victory celebration - and a position where Meles, the incumbent
prime minister, could address his supporters from behind a bullet proof
screen.
In the heated atmosphere of the results room, a long list of numbers was
finally read out by Bekana. At first he appeared reluctant to announce a
provisional winner and then came the words: "Definitely the EPRDF [the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] has won. At this point
definitely."
And it was a landslide. The EPRDF had won by a larger margin than many
analysts had expected. Their biggest challengers - Medrek, a forum of eight
parties - had been decimated.
In advance of Sunday's poll and during the voting, the opposition had been
complaining of ballot stuffing, intimidation, harassment and the blocking of
their observers in some of the 43,000 polling stations.
But on this night they were silent. And the next morning it was obvious they
were letting the ruling party's choreographed plans roll out.
They were waiting to hear what foreign observers had to say.
EU election monitors, in two floors of the Addis Hilton Hotel, were busily
preparing for its news conference.
Expulsion threat
Draft copies of their findings had somehow found their way to Zenawi's
office.
I understand from sources that Thijs Berman, the EU chief observer, had been
summoned by Zenawi on Monday for a serious dressing down - even a threat of
expelling the 170-strong mission from the country.
And so, when on early Tuesday morning Zenawi spoke above the cacophony of
his supporters' wailing and cheering in Medrek Square, these words came in
the Amharic language: "The people's vote will not be overturned by foreign
forces.
"Some of our foreign friends have disappointed us but that's in the past.
"We urge them now to give recognition to the people's vote. The politics of
hate is out. Not one life should be lost in post-election riots."
EU complaints
What was the opposition position on that statement?
Still no official word as the assembled throng of ruling party supporters
became more challenging towards foreign faces. Some of them turned on
foreign national journalists, like myself, chanting: "Tell the truth, fair
reporting".
Less than two hours later Berman addressed his large media audience.
He said the polling had been generally calm and peaceful, and organised in a
competent and professional manner. However, in the political atmosphere
during the weeks running up to the elections, his observers noted
apprehension and insecurity as the number of complaints from the opposition
increased.
Then he got to the point: "The title of our preliminary report is high
turnout on election day but marred by narrowing political space and an
uneven playing field.
"The EU observed the use of state resources for the campaign.
"Insufficient measures were taken to increase the level of trust of some
political parties in the NEBE institution, especially at the local level."
A few hours after his news conference came another EU statement, this time
from Brussels.
Catherine Ashton, the EU foregn policy chief, said: "I welcome the peaceful
conduct of the elections and I congratulate the Ethiopian voters for showing
their commitment to this process with a high turnout.
"The legislative elections in Ethiopia were an important moment in the
democratic process in the country,."
Ashton further said the EU "stands ready to work with Ethiopia to further
deepen our relations with the government and the peoples".
Court consideration
So what should most Ethiopians, and particularly the opposition parties,
make of this? Opposition leaders are still considering their next move.
Street protests are ruled out after the deaths of 193 demonstrators and
seven policemen following the disputed 2005 election.
Back then the opposition was much stronger. Now the only realistic option is
for them to look to the civil courts.
Medrek has an open hand as its campaign symbol, seen as a stop sign for
Meles rule. The EPRDF has a worker bee as its symbol.
The bee has stung the hand convincingly.
But how will this play out with a new government with a massively increased
majority?
Ethiopia is a country with an estimated population of more than 80 million
people and a massive need to help the vast majority of its people who live
on less than $2 a day.
Meles has an answer - more foreign support for aid programmes while he works
on the private sector.
The open hand, for now, cannot compete.
in depth
http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Images/2010/5/22/201052274121416734_21.
jpg
Video:
Opposition
<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/05/201052274135729474.html>
cries foul
Democracy's
<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/05/201052364559553531.html>
stiff test
Interview: Meles
<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/05/2010520102652415666.html>
Zenawi
Ethiopia:
<http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/listeningpost/2009/10/2009103014295
4551473.html> Then and now
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----
