OFDM says will never run with out int'l and local observers In the wake of boycotts of the local and by-elections by two opposition parties, on grounds that they have been restricted from freely taking part in the process, the National Electoral Board (NEB) has in turn accused the United Ethiopian Democratic Front (UEDF) of several election frauds.

Secretary of the electoral board, Tesfaye Mengesha on Thursday said that his organization had proof that the UEDF had committed gross violations of the election law.

Apart attempts to gain the release of prisoners whose incarceration was not related to the election, the secretary also alleged that the party had failed to have its candidates registered by refusing to go to Kebeles, instead submitting the names of their candidates at Woreda level.

"UEDF people [went] to Woredas and tried to give the list to officials there because they were not able or willing to go to all Kebele election offices. They should have followed the procedure. Despite all that we facilitated things for them to register their candidates." 

Tesfaye, who says his board can corroborate its accusation, said UEDF had attempted to register under age candidates and people who were not aware that they were even UEDF candidates.

"We have evidence that there were forged signatures in the name of these "candidates" who were not aware of the situation. In some places, members of the ruling party Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) were short-listed as UEDF candidates without their knowledge."

UEDF Chairman, Professor Beyene Petros on the other hand dismissed the accusation and said that every complaint that his party made was substantiated with evidence.

"Take for example East Badewacho, where I was running for the elections, 237 of the election officials there were members of the ruling party. They were elected members Kebele councils during the previous election, and to be elected they had to contend as members of a political party," Beyene said.
 
Election officials who were previously dismissed due to disciplinary misconduct have now been assigned again, according to Beyene.

Beyene said he could name these individuals and where they were assigned.

Beyene also said that UEDF candidates were forced to register at woreda level because the Kebeles had locked up and disappeared.

"If Ato Tesfaye is a man of conscience, it was him that had advised us to go to the Woreda, when the deadline approached and we could not register our candidates."

However, Beyene said, that there was an incident involving his parties candidates who went to the Dawro Zone because they were unable to register at the Kebele level and they were turned down at the Mareka Gena Woreda too.

"We did get into an argument with Ato Tesfaye over this particular issue and tried to explain the problem, there was only two days left. I am not sure how we are supposed to prove this unless we physically carry the Kebeles down to Ato Tesfaye's office," Beyene said.

In response to whether the allegation that his party had fielded under age candidates, Beyene said that that was orchestrated again by officials of the ruling party.

"Some considered as school administrators, manipulated the registers of our candidates and reduced their age to under 21, and had them disqualified. We later then lodged our complaints and they were told to correct the error. But noting changed," Beyene told The Reporter over the telephone on Friday.

In a related news, the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) which also boycotted elections after Sunday's polls, said that it will not run in elections to come, if international observers and local observers are not present.

"The problems have become beyond what we can bear, we have not been able to struggle, we could not continue," Bulcha Demeksa Chairman of party told The Reporter.

"We could have stayed through the whole process, but our observers were barred, imprisoned and beaten. And there can not be an election without observers.

Bulcha dismissed the notion that his party had decided to call it quits, after it had seen the early results.

"We did not retreat, we just did not want the EPRDF to say that it had won a contested election," Bulcha said.

By Namrud Berhane