Ethiopia Elections Under Contention

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi waves to supporters at the Meskel Square in Addis Ababa on May 25, to celebrate his landslide election victory. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

|Video Courtesy of NTDTV |

Preliminary reports from Ethiopia’s fourth general election on Monday, indicate a landslide victory for incumbent Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Jimma Times reported that the opposition coalition Medrek will not accept election results.

The European Union has also said the elections were not fair.

Thijs Berman, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission Ethiopia said, according to the Jimma Times, “There were reports of harassment and intimidation, including cases of violence voiced both by the opposition and to a lesser extent by the ruling party. The sheer volume and consistency of these complaints is a matter of concern that has to be taken into consideration.”

Human Rights Watch has also stated that the elections were marred by repression.

“Behind an orderly facade, the government pressured, intimidated, and threatened Ethiopian voters,” said acting Africa director at Human Rights Watch Rona Peligal in a report by The Guardian.

“Whatever the results, the most salient feature of this election was the months of repression preceding it,” said Peligal.