Ethiopia Opposition Claims Election Fraud

An Ethiopian woman gets ballot papers at a polling station on May 23, in the capital Addis Ababa. Ethiopians began voting in legislative elections on May 23. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi appeared set for re-election although the main opposition party Medrek, has made allegations of election fraud in some areas. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

No violence was reported after polls closed in the fourth general elections in Ethiopia yesterday, but opposition leaders are claiming fraud in some regions.

Leading opposition party Medrek has cried foul after claiming that election observers from the party were denied access to several polling stations in the city of Ambo, AFP reported.

“It doesn’t look like an election, even by African standards,” said one top Medrek leader, Merara Gudina, according to AFP.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi leader of the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is expected to win. Violence in the aftermath of Ethiopia’s last elections that saw Zenawi elected in 2005 left over 190 dead.

The National Electoral Board says the elections have been fair.