Ethiopia’s main opposition coalitions say initial election results showed they are on course to win enough seats to form the next government, contradicting claims of victory by the ruling party. Leaders from the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Front (UEDF) say they had “completed preparations” through which the public would “reverse” any attempt to tamper with the results from the polls.

The opposition did not specify exactly what such action might be, although it drew hundreds of thousands of supporters onto the streets of the capital Addis Ababa in a rally ahead of Sunday’s elections. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party claimed victory on Monday. The government imposed a month-long post-election ban on rallies on Sunday.

“The trend so far clearly indicates that the CUD will emerge as the winner with sufficient seats to form a government,” Berhanu Nega, vice-chairman of the CUD, told a joint news conference alongside UEDF leaders. He accused the ruling party of requesting recounts in constituencies where the opposition had won in order to try to tamper with the results.

The government says it has won at least 300 seats in the 547-seat federal parliament, citing unofficial returns, giving it a mandate to form the next government. The CUD says it has so far won 133 seats and the UEDF 70, according to initial results, but says it is confident of winning a majority when all results are counted. – Reuters.