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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Nov 05 2010 - 14:05:20 EST
Ethiopia denies EU poll team entry
By ARGAW ASHINE in Addis Ababa ( <javascript:void(0);> email the author)
Posted Friday, November 5 2010 at 11:20
The European Union election observer mission has been barred from returning
to Ethiopia.
The mission was expected in the country to announce its final report.
Ethiopia held national elections last May.
Mr Thijs Berman, a member of the European Parliament and head of Ethiopian
election observer mission from Belgium, said his team was denied a visa by
'unhappy' Ethiopian authorities.
The mission was supposed to officially submit its report to Ethiopian
Government in Addis Ababa. However, Addis authorities are furious about the
report.
Ethiopian ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the issue when
approached by the Africa Review.
His disappointment
The EU mission will now announce its long delayed report from the Brussels
headquarters on November 8.
The report said the elections failed to meet international standards. But
the African Union observers said the elections were free and fair.
The ruling party; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF),
led by Mr Meles, won 99.6 per cent.
The opposition Medrek deputy chairman, Mr Gizachew Shiferaw, said the EU
report was coming too late in the day to be of any relevance.
According to Mr Gizachew, the report cannot help anyone at this time, as the
ruling party had already
<http://www.africareview.com/News/Ethiopian%20PM%20picks%20new%20Cabinet/-/9
79180/1026740/-/b6ql5a/-/index.html> formed a new government.
The opposition politicians had sought a fresh election but their request was
not granted by the supreme court.
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