Ethiopian general election, 2005
The parliamentary elections in Ethiopia in 2005 were the second parliamentary election since the introduction of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1995, while the third general election ever in the country.
The Ethiopian elections were held in 15th May 2005, organized by the National Electoral Authority of Ethiopia. Elected were the people of the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament Ethiopian, and the parliaments of the various regions of the respective peoples.
Under pressure from the international community of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi declared that the elections are proof that democracy was a reality within this multi - ethnic and multi- cultural nation. International election observers from the United States of America as well as from the European Union were present. The turnout was 90 percent.
Organization of parties
Prior to the elections, the party Rainbow Ethiopia included: movement for democracy and social justice, the All- Amhara People's Organization, the Gesamtäthiopische unit organization and the United Ethiopian Democratic Party / Medhin for electoral alliance of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy ( Qinijit ) together. This group advocated the return - centralization of the country, having their party base in the first place among the Amhara and the Gurage.
The Ethiopian Social Democratic Federal Party, the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party, the Democratic Alliance of the peoples of southern Ethiopia and the Oromo National Congress founded the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces, which had the further federalization of the country to the destination and found especially among the Oromo supporters. This opposition movement joined in 2003 eleven other parties, including the historically significant Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and the Socialist Movement Gesamtäthiopische and a rebel organization, the Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front of the Afar to.
Furthermore founded numerous rebel groups, including the Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front for the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy.
Further, both pro-government parties entered - such as the Democratic united front of the peoples Sheko and Majangir and the Democratic Movement of Argobba nationality, as well as opposition groups like the Federalist Democratic Oromo movement, as individual parties without alliances with other parties for election.
The 1991 continuously ruling coalition of the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian peoples themselves - consisting of the ruling in their respective regions National Democratic Movement of Amhara, the Democratic organization of the Oromo people, the leading People's Liberation Front of Tigray and the Democratic Movement of Südäthiopischen peoples - joined this time again as a coalition to.
Electioneering
The election campaign was generally regarded as free, every movement was left equal time in the media for the election campaigns. However Partly it came to violent language of the candidates, the protocol differed greatly ( as the comparison with the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda). The election campaign for the general election in May 2005 was more open and freer than ever an election campaign before.
Panel discussions between representatives of the various parties, where the government and opposition alike participated were organized by non-governmental organizations together with state universities and transmitted on radio and television. The government and private press reported widely on campaign disputes.
Results
The opposition received a total of 30 percent of parliamentary seats. The distribution of seats of all parties was as follows:
- Tigray People's Liberation Front of
- Democratic Organization of Oromovolkes
- National Democratic Movement of Amhara
- Democratic Movement of peoples Südäthiopischen
- Ethiopian Democratic League
- United Ethiopian Democratic Party / Medhin
- Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice
- Gesamtäthiopische unit organization
- Oromo National Congress
- Ethiopian Social Democratic Federal Party
- Democratic Alliance of the peoples of southern Ethiopia
- All- Amhara People's Organization
- Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party
- Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front of the Afar
- Gesamtäthiopische Socialist Movement
- Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party
Post-election unrest
According to the EU election observers, the election itself was largely peaceful. When it became clear over the country, that the ruling Ethiopian People 's Revolutionary Democratic Front of the would lose the election, the government stopped the official vote count and declared himself the victor. After the opposition had, however, accused the government of electoral fraud, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, however, announced a one-month ban on public gatherings for the capital Addis Ababa. He took over the general command of the military and the federal police, imposed curfews and banned all demonstrations across the country.
When protests against the government in early June were killed at least 36 people by police, hundreds were injured. Thousands of mostly young demonstrators were detained in camps outside the capital Addis Ababa.
After the publication of the election results in June 2005, it arrived in the capital Addis Ababa to violent riots, during which up to 96 people were killed. Furthermore, many were imprisoned opposition politicians and journalists, according to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch. In July 2006, the situation had calmed down; the arrested opposition politicians were pardoned and released in 2007. However, visitors to the country have been advised to stay away from demonstrations.