Official results show a massive victory for the ruling party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who has dominated Ethiopia since seizing power in an armed takeover in 1991. His party captured at least 499 of the 547 parliamentary seats, the national election board announced.
But the election was marred by “a narrowing of political space and an uneven playing field,” according to a statement by election observers from the European Union.
Other analysts were harsher in their criticism. Human Rights Watch, an independent group, said the government used repressive tactics to ensure its victory. “Behind an orderly façade, the government pressured, intimidated and threatened Ethiopian voters,” a spokesman for the group said.
Government officials and militia members went house to house in recent weeks to warn Ethiopians to vote for the ruling party or face reprisals that could include the loss of their homes or jobs, Human Rights Watch said.
Five years ago, opposition parties made a surprisingly strong showing in the last Ethiopian election, sweeping all seats in the capital, Addis Ababa. But the government claimed a national victory, sparking angry protests in the street. An estimated 200 people were shot dead by security forces in a crackdown on the protesters.
Ethiopia is among the most populous and strategically important countries in Africa, and Mr. Meles has become a darling of Western aid donors. He is seen as an economic reformer who has brought political stability and provided a bulwark against Islamic radicalism in neighbouring Somalia, where Ethiopia has sometimes sent military forces against the Islamists.
Ethiopia is plagued by high rates of malnutrition and food shortages, but it has become one of the leading recipients of aid donations from many Western nations – including Canada, which provided $138-million in aid to Ethiopia last year.
After the election results were announced on Tuesday, thousands of government supporters rallied in the streets of Addis Ababa, celebrating the victory and denouncing Human Rights Watch.
“The people’s vote will not be overturned by foreign forces,” Mr. Meles told the crowd. He said the opposition parties “must accept the decision of our great and proud people, and not become tools of external forces that don’t have the right to act as the ultimate judges of our elections.”
Ethiopia’s opposition leaders, however, were skeptical of the official results. One of the top opposition leaders, Hailu Shawel, said the election was “ridiculous” because it was completely controlled by the ruling party. “They just want power,” he said. “They want to be there forever.”
The EU observer team, which included five Canadian observers, said the ruling party was boosted by unfair assistance from local officials in many regions. The observers witnessed many cases where the resources of the state were used “for ruling party campaign activities,” their statement said. “Such misuse of state resources can give the incumbent an unfair advantage in the campaign and reflects an uneven playing field.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, in a statement last week, said he had “concerns about the electoral environment leading up to the elections, which has hampered the ability of all political parties to participate in a full and unfettered manner.”
Aklilu Wendafetrew, head of the Canadian branch of a solidarity committee for Ethiopian political prisoners, said the election shows that Ethiopia is “continuing to slide away from democracy into absolute totalitarianism.” Western donors such as Canada should use their influence to pressure Mr. Meles to move toward free and fair elections, he said.
