May 23, 2010.
** Final Results below the fold ***
I will live blog the 2010 Ethiopian Elections here. These are parliamentary elections and all 547 parliamentary seats are being contested. This election is expected to severely test the Ethiopian government. If the pre-election process is any indication, widespread vote rigging and intimidation is expected. The only question is, how far will the government go?
My sources are independent election observers, opposition party officials, reporters, and individuals sending emails and making phone calls directly from Ethiopia. I will continuously update this page.
I apologize for any mis-spellings and unformatted posts. I post the news items as fast as I get them.
The latest as of May 24, 10:08 PM EST: 75% reporting, the ruling party (EPRDF) has won 99.4% of the vote.
Let's compare:
Saddam Wins with 100% of the vote.
Kim Jong-il of North Korea wins with 100%
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt does it with 88.6%
May 23, 2010 2:15 PM Eastern Time (8:15 PM Ethiopian Time)
Vote counting is ongoing. In the Gondar region, Haik district, voting was stopped one hour before poll closing time (6 PM Eth time) and all vote counting was concluded by 7 PM. There they have declared the ruling party the winner in all election districts. No independent election observers, including those designated by Medrek and AEUP were present.
May 23, 2010 2:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Ethiopian Time)
In the highly contested Tembien area (Tigray region), EPRDF armed cadres are firing their weapons in the open, as in yesterday. This obviously is causing great terror in the local population.
We still do not have any updates on the detained and imprisoned reporter of Addis Admas, Ms Tsion Girma.
In the Gamo Gofa region, Gara Mola region, armed government security personell used government issued vehicles to stop voters and threaten them to vote for EPRDF - the ruling party.
May 23, 2010 1:30 PM Eastern Time (7:30 PM Ethiopian Time)
We are receiving numerous reports that election observers are being beaten and chased away from polling stations as vote counting continues.
The voting is now concluded (for an hour and a half) and the vote counting has started. In Southern Gondar, in eight of the polling stations, ALL opposition election observers have been sent home and the voting and the counting is being concluded without any independent observers.
In Bahir Dar area, in Chinbil polling station, the total number of voters registered was 250. The total number of votes cast? 300!
Of the 76 polling stations in the Wollo region, Ambasel area, 56 polling stations had no election observers because they have been blocked from observing or have been beaten/chased away.
In Debre-Elia, Gojam, 32 observers have similarly been turned back; however 17 observers are reporting that they are observing in some polling stations.
May 23, 2010 12:00 PM Eastern Time (7:00 PM Ethiopian Time)
EU Observers are reportedly saying that they have not witnessed the intimidations being reported by Medrek and AEUP. EU is fielding only 150 total observers. In comparison, there are 42,000 (forty-two thousand) polling stations.
Dr. Negasso Gidad, former president of Ethiopia just said this to the associated press: "Compared to other elections in Africa, this cannot be called an election". Dr. Negasso indicated that his party will meet to discuss these incidents tomorrow. According to him, the Ethiopian people are witnessing this shameful act by the government.
Now, we are getting reports that the EU observers mission is inclined to accept the reports of Medrek and AEUP on the vote rigging and the many irregularities of the voting process. On the other hand, it is widely expected that the EU will give a lukewarm endorsement of the election based on the few polling stations they observed in the Capital, Addis Abeba.
May 23, 2010 11:30 AM Eastern Time (6:30 PM Ethiopian Time)
Ethiopian TV just cut-off a live interview with the head of AEUP (opposition party), Mr. Gizachew Shiferaw, when he started his remarks with "The election is neither democratic nor just ...".
Mr. Siye Abraha, former defense minister of Ethiopia, current opposition party leader of UDJ, said of the ruling party: "EPRDF has done everything one does in a war short of spilling blood. This election was a persecution of war against the opposition".
May 23, 2010 10:20 AM Eastern Time (4:20 PM Ethiopian Time)
Dr. Merara Gudina, of Medrek, declared today's election process flawed and a declaration of war by the government on the opposition. He said, "in his wildest dreams he did not think the government would resort to such a low level".
May 23, 2010 10:15 AM Eastern Time (5:15 PM Ethiopian Time)
The Tenbien district (Tigray region) is reportedly under the control of government security forces. This is where former Defense Minister Mr. Siye Abraha is running under the opposition banner - UDJ party - against one of the heavy weights of the ruling party. Security personnel, and not Election officials, are running the polling stations.
Mr. Siye Abraha objected to the presence of TV Cameras at the polling station and within the voting booth itself. Tigray TV (government controlled) is filming voters during their votes.
Mr. Abebaw Mehari, high level official of the AEUP opposition party reported to Addis Neger news paper that their election observers have been beaten away from the polling stations. Their observers had witnessed ballot stuffing before their were forcibly removed.
May 23, 2010 9:45 AM Eastern Time (4:45 PM Ethiopian Time)
Dr. Negasso Gidada, former president of Ethiopia and current UDJ party leader, has now contradicted a BBC report that he has withdrawn from the race. The BBC report cited government controlled media as its only source. He called the report "a dereliction of duty by the BBC". Dr. Negasso, following the election from UDJ offices in Addis Abeba, informed us that the BBC did not even try to confirm with him before running with the breaking news story.
Government run media is reporting many misleading reports such as the above news item. The government controls the only TV station and the two radio stations.
May 23, 2010 9:30 AM Eastern Time (4:30 PM Ethiopian Time)
In the Adama region, Medrek and AEUP candidates have withdrawn from the race. Mr. Birhanu Teshome (Medrek candidate) and Mr. Gobena Nuru (from AEUP) both withdrew within three hours of the start of voting. Both pointed to the missing election observers and the extreme intimidation by security forces as the reason of their exit; calling the process "a war, not an election".
May 23, 2010 9:00 AM Eastern Time (4:00 PM Ethiopian Time)
Engineer Hailu Shawel, leader of opposition party AEUP, openly declared the election stolen.
Mr. Gizachew Shiferaw, the current vice chair of the UDJ (lead by the now imprisoned Ms Birtukan Mideksa), has also declared the election undemocratic. The head of the Election Board has now condemned both statements because "the election is not yet over".
May 23, 2010 6:00 AM Eastern Time (1:0 PM Ethiopian Time)
Dr. Negasso Gidada, former president of Ethiopia and current opposition party leader for the UDJ (Unity for Democracy and Justice Party), called the situation so dire that his party may not accept the results.
Reporter for Addis Admas news paper, Ms Tsion Girma, who travelled to the Tembien district of the Tigray region (base of the ruling party) to report on the election has been detained and imprisoned.
Heavy security presence in the the Sebeta district of Oromia region reported. About forty (40) Medrek supporters have been bussed to "Mazoria" and detained there.
Medrek candidate in the Fiche district, Mrs. Asnakech, called the voting "full of stress, intimidation, and outright stealing". She added that her party "may not accept the results". We reported earlier that Mrs. Asnakech and her staff woke up early in the morning to find the breaks on their vehicle disabled. They had difficulty transporting their election observers to their designated polling stations.
May 23, 2010 5:30 AM Eastern Time (12:30 PM Ethiopian Time)
Medrek election observers in Eastern Gojam are finding it increasingly difficult to work because of intimidation by armed security personnel. Mr. Haileyesus, a member of parliament and running for re-election there, just informed us that "he visited more than forty (40) polling stations so far and it is impossible to call this an election, let alone a free and fair one." Election observers are being forced to leave the polling stations or risk imprisonment".
One Election Observer in the Jida district of Gojam region, and two in Debre-Markos region are missing; their whereabouts unknown at this time.
ALL election observers did not show up at their designated polling stations in the Debak and Kimir-Dingay districts of the Gondar region. The actions of the government seems to be to intimidate or bribe the election observers to dicourage them from showing up at the polling stations; or if they do, to imprison them.
Earlier, we had received reports that Mr. Zenebe Sisay, running for Medrek in the Wolkayit Tegede area, was under a defacto house arrest. Now, we were able to reach Mr. Sisay who was able to go out and vote; however, armed security still surrounding his house.
May 23, 2010 5:00 AM Eastern Time (12:00 PM Ethiopian Time)
In the Adwa district where PM Meles Zenawi is running, ALL election observers are missing in action. The election board has, illegally, passed on to the government the names and addresses of all election observers submitted by the Oppossition to the board. It is this list that the government is using to harrass and intimidate the observers (reports indicate that intimidation and harrassment of observers - and their families - started during the night).
The Medrek candidate in that same Adwa district, Mrs. Aregash, said that this election "has showed the true colors of the ruling party - EPRDF". All election posters of opposition parties have been taken down; only remaining ones are those of the ruling party. Mrs. Aregash also added, "This does not look like an election. Groups of armed security personnel are openly threatening voters to vote for the bee [the bee being the election symbol of the ruling party]".
May 23, 2010 4:00 AM Eastern Time (11:00 AM Ethiopian Time)
Irregularities and outright ballot stuffing reported in the Wolayta Sodo area; more than 40 election observers detained by goverment security there.
Voting in Addis Abeba is relatively peaceful. However, groups of government cadres are reportedly intimidating and harrasing voters in the Bole, Khaliti, Ferensay Legassion, Kotobe, and some other areas of Addis Abeba. The intimidation in these areas was so out of control, even the government-controlled Election Board was forced to intervene and calm the situation.
It is a different stoty outside of the major cities. In southern Wollo, election observers observed stuffed ballot boxes even before the election started. Government security forces confiscated their Observer ID cards and sent them away because "they were no longer needed".
In Southern Wollo, three Medrek (largest opposition coalition party) observers and one in the Fiche area have been imprisoned.
Medrek candidate the Wolayta Sodo district, Mrs. Tsehay has declared the voting "completely stolen". All of the Election Observers sent by Medrek have been imprisoned.
In Wolkayit Tegede, one Medrek candidate, thirty two election observers have been imprisoned, and many more in Wolayta Sodo (28 in Bale, 3 Southern Gondar, 1 in Fiche, unkonwn number for the moment in Wolayta Sodo).
In Northern Wollo, reports indicate that voters are being instructed whom they should vote for in the voting booth. Election observers there also report that voters are showing up at the voting booth with already filled out ballots.
May 23, 2010 2:30 AM Eastern Time (9:30 AM Ethiopian Time)
We just received a report from Mr. Eskindir Nega (a reporter) who visited two polling station in the district where Ms Birtukan Mideksa’s residence is. The number of people at the polling stations was considerably less than that of the 2005 elections. Those lined up to vote are subdued and seem a bit intimidated. Some of the voters were not willing to answer any questions for fear of the government officials loitering around the station and recording the voters.
May 23, 2010 1:45 AM Eastern Time
Ato Andualem Aragie, Secretary of UDJ, report that prominent medrek officials are being followed by government security personnel. The intent seems to be to intimidate and to restrict freedom of movement.
There are also reports that pre-voting procedures, such as ensuring that ballot boxes are empty before the vote – slated to happen before the 6 AM opening time - were not carried out in some locations.
May 23, 2010 12፡ 00 AM EST
It is election day in Ethiopia and the public is starting to head to the polls. The number of voters seems to be large in Awasa and Addis Ababa.
Although there are more than 42,000 polling station throughout the country, the number of independent observers from the European Union only number 150. In contrast, during the 2005 elections, the EU and the Carter Center fielded more than 400 observers. This was in addition to the countless election observers fielded by domestic civic organizations.
May 22, 2010 11:00 PM EST
Government controlled media, including Ethiopian TV, has just announced that the government has dispatched eight (8) teams of reporters to report on the elections.
We have received reports that German Radio, is no longer accessible within Ethiopia since Friday, May 21, 2010. It is to be remembered that, in its bid to completely control flow of information, the government has recently and publicly announced the jamming of the Voice of America (by comparing it to the radio station that started the Rwanda'n Genocide). The Obama administration did not publicly respond to this comparison!!!
May 22, 2010 3:30 PM EST
We are getting reports that government security forces have put Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, Ato Andualem Aragie, and other Medrek party officials under constant surveillance.
In addition, particularly harsh intimidation and harassment has been directed at the election observers fielded by Medrek. The reports we are receiving especially paint a bleak picture in the Oromia, Gondar, Wollo, and Eastern Gojam.