The Entire UEDF election monitors and candidates were jailed on eve of election day in most areas because the ruling party had little or no chance of winning votes, sources said, adding while in Tigrai, UEDF candidates were forced to pull out of the race prior to elecitons due to death threats. The UEDF is expected to give an official statement.

Meanwhile, all the 23 seats in the capital have been taken up by the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), but despite the landslide victory in Addis, opposition hopes to form a coalition front and take over the ruling party as a majority may have been thrawted due to widespread arrests and killings in off-screen Ethiopian countryside.

Although reports from distant rural areas are being gathered slowly, UEDF they’re all about the same: EPRDF cadres have shamelessly derailed the democratic process by blatantly & literally stealing the election.

1. At least 3 UEDF supporters & candidates have been brutally murdered; one in Siraro (Ato Abdela) & 2 in Nazreth (one of them a student).

2. Almost all UEDF election monitors were jailed or at least prevented from monitoring the election. This was the case to CUD too.

3. In areas were the ruling party was least favored or has no support at all, people were prevented from exercising their fundamental right to vote. In some cases by firing shots at the crowd as in the case of Ambo, Selale, etc….

4. UEDF candidates were forcefully barred from the process. In some areas as in Tigrai entire UEDF candidates had to abondon their candidacy.

5. There are reports of confrontations in several areas.

Reports of harssment, intimidation, outright prevention to participate in the election, severe beatings, stuffing ballot boxes with pre-marked ballot papers (with that of EPRDF’s), barring of observers to witness the process & killing were common occurences in all areas.

With the proclamation of state of emergency, unfortunately, we should expect more bad news. We plan to update you as frequently as possible. We’ve made arrangements with the main office to do so.