Harassment alleged as Ethiopians vote

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopians voted Sunday in national and regional elections in which the ruling party is expected to maintain its iron-clad grip on power.

Some opposition leaders said their members had been harassed and beaten up while trying to cast their ballots.

The Election Board said late Sunday that polling will be extended until Monday in some universities and colleges where there had been a shortage of voting materials.

Provisional results are expected in a week but final results won’t be released before June 22. More than 36 million voters were registered to vote in this African nation of about 90 million people.

A spokesman for the opposition Blue party, Yonathan Tesfaye, said that Sunday’s election was ‘‘full of games,’’ apparently referring to electoral malpractices. ‘‘We have received lots of complaints from our observers who were banned from observing the election process,’’ Yonathan said. “The government has been using a number of techniques to harass them all day.’’

The Ethiopian News Agency cited the African Union as saying the voting had been mostly ‘‘orderly.’’ A state minister at the Government Communications Affairs office said voter turnout was more than 85 percent and that the process had been peaceful.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has been leading the country since the death in 2012 of Meles Zenawi, who built the ruling coalition into a powerful political organization. These are Ethiopia’s first elections since his death.

Source: bostonglobe

Analysis: As Ethiopia votes, human rights are not the real story

Ethiopia’s elections have been overshadowed by criticism of the government’s human rights record. Fair enough, it’s a poor record. But this kind of one-dimensional thinking misses the point entirely. Far from tearing Ethiopia down, we should be looking at all the things this country is doing right. By SIMON ALLISON.

On Sunday, Ethiopians voted in parliamentary elections that will be won by the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF). The only uncertainty is whether the party will better their showing in the 2010 poll, where they secured an astonishing – and, frankly, suspicious – 99.6% of the vote.
All too predictably, most coverage of the vote has focussed on this total electoral dominance, and Ethiopia’s dodgy human rights record. There’s plenty of cause for concern in this regard: harassment and intimidation of opposition groups in the run-up to the vote; the censorship regime which makes independence journalism near-impossible; and the tight restrictions on civil society organisations that don’t toe the party line.
As pro-democracy group Freedom House explained in a scathingop-ed: “As long as democratic governance and respect for human rights are pushed aside by donors in favour of economic development and security cooperation, Ethiopia’s long-term stability is at serious risk.”
But Freedom House misses the point – as do other rights groups, and western governments who vigorously push a pro-democracy, pro-human rights agenda. No matter what their political dispensation, there are few governments in Africa with a shining human rights record, and Ethiopia is certainly not amongst them. However, there are even fewer who are delivering widespread and sustainable development to their people – and in this category, Ethiopia leads the pack. This is the real story.
A western diplomat, speaking off the record, told the Daily Maverick recently that, dollar for dollar, Ethiopia represents by far the best value for aid money in Africa. Unlike in most countries, the aid is spent effectively in the areas it was allocated for, and results often exceed expectations (“If Ethiopia promises to build 100 schools with our money, they build 110 instead,” he said).
Likewise, the government is doing an excellent job of growing Ethiopia’s economy in a difficult global climate, bringing millions of people out of poverty in the process (the poverty rate fell from 39% to 26% between 2005 and 2013). The country’s average annual real GDP growth over the last decade was an astonishing 10.9%. “If you look at it from an economic stand point, I think Ethiopia is one of the countries that has become the quintessential embodiment of the Africa rising narrative,” said Julians Amboko, research analyst at Stratlink Africa, speaking to CNBC Africa.
Making this growth even more impressive is that it’s built on a developing industrial and manufacturing base, not on an unsustainable natural resources boom, and has been accompanied by a massive campaign to build basic infrastructure like roads, public transport and electrification. On even a cursory glance, the impacts are obvious in the country’s new roads, its almost-ready subway system, and huge new hydroelectric dam which should guarantee Ethiopia’s energy needs for decades to come.
Whether you like its authoritarian, single party methods or not, Ethiopia is doing more to develop itself and deliver basic services to its people than almost all other African governments. Its Ethiopia’s development story, not its all too familiar human rights story, which really matters to other African countries.
This is, naturally, a bitter pill to swallow for the activists, aid workers and diplomats who have been telling African governments how to solve their problems for so long – and been so vocally critical when things don’t go according to the one-size-fits-all plan. But the standard western approach, which prioritises human rights above socio-economic rights, has usually failed to deliver on both fronts.
Many African countries need another option – and, while far from perfect, the Ethiopian model provides that. Can Africans afford to sacrifice their development at the altar of a failed western ideology? Do the continent’s leaders not have a duty to try something different?
It’s hard to escape the cynical conclusion that Ethiopia is now being pilloried for doing exactly that: trying something different. Worse, it is succeeding, making a mockery of decades of western orthodoxy in the process. Here’s a little secret: almost nowhere in Africa has democracy led to development, or human rights to sustainable socio-economic rights.
And another that smug western democracies prefer to forget: that their democratic stability was not born in a human rights-respecting vacuum, but forged on the back of slave labour, colonialism and the exclusion from the political process of entire races and genders. In this context, Ethiopia is already way ahead of the game.
That’s not to say there’s not room for improvement. There is plenty that Ethiopia can and should do better. But to focus on its faults, while ignoring its successes, is to do Ethiopia – and the African governments that might learn from it – a major disservice. DM
Photo: A woman has her finger marked at the 'Kechene Medianealem' church in the Ethiopian presidential in the capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 24 May2015. The elections are the first since since the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and it is expected that his successor, Hailemariam Desalegn, is certain to stay in office. An estimated 37 million people are thought to vote today. EPA/Solan Kolli
Read more:

• Ethiopia's election is a wake-up call on human rights and sound governance on the Guardian
• Ethiopia in first vote since Meles Zenawi's death on BBC

Source: dailymaverick

የወያኔው ሚዲያ ኢሕአዴግ አ.አን እና ጎንደርን 100% አሸነፈ ሲል ዘገበ * ዶ/ር መራራና ዶ/ር በየነ ተሸነፉም አለ የወያኔው አይጋ

የማያፍረው ወያኔ ይህ ሁሉ ሕዝብ ዶ/ር መረራ ጉዲናን ደግፎ አደባባይ ወጥቶላቸው ዶ/ር መረራ ተሸነፉ ሲል ከምርጫ ቦርድ በፊት በአይጋ ፎረም በኩል ይፋ አድርጓል::

የወያኔው ምርኩዝ ምርጫ ቦርድ የምርጫውን ውጤት ይፋ ሳያደርግ አይጋ ፎረም የተሰኘው አፍቃሪ ወያኔ ድህረ ገጽ፣ ወያኔ በአዲስ አበባ በአዲስ አበባ፣ በጎንደር ዞኖች 100% እንዳሸነፈ ገለጸ። ቁጥሩ እጅግ በጣም በርካታ ነዋሪ ድጋፉን ለመድረክ በሰጠበት፣ ዶር መራራ ጉዲና በተወዳደሩበት በአምቦ/ጉደር፣ እንዲሁም ዶ/ር በየነ በተወዳደሩበት ሃዲያ ዞን ኢሕአዴግ እንዳሸነፈም አይጋ ጠቅሷል። አዲስ አበባ፣ ሙሉ ጎንደር ዞኖችን 100% ወይኔ እንዳሸነፈ ነው የተገለጸው።

አይጋ ከህወሃት ጋር በቅኝት የሚሰራ ድህረ ገጽ እንደመሆኑ፣ ወያኔ ይፋ ሊያደርገው የሚችለው ዉጤት ምን ሊሆን እንደሚችል የሚያሳይ እንደሆነ አንድንዶች ይናገራሉ።
ሆኖም የሕዝቡን ስሜት አስቀድሞ ለመለካት ሆን ተብሎ እንደ ታክቲክ የተደረገ ዘገባ ሊሆንም ይችላል።
አይጋ የሚከተለውን ነው የዘገበው
“Although some expected Dr Merara and Dr Beyene to reclaim their lost seat in parliament preliminary count suggests EPRDF has won both seats and 100% sweep in the Capital City as well as other regions! The only region opposition has a chance to win some seats is in Amhara Kilil but that is not certain either so far Gondor is all gone to EPRDF”
ከዚህ ቀጥሎ ያለው በአምቦ/ጉደር መድረክን ደግፎ የተሰበሰበው ህዝብ ነው። እንግዲህ ይሄ ሁሉ ህዝብ እያለ ነው ወያኔ አሸነፍኩ የሚለው።

Source: Zehabesha

ለዲሞክራሲያዊ ሰርዓት ግንባታ ለሚደረገው ሁለገብ ትግል እርዳታ ማሰባሰቢያ ምሽት በሲያትል – አርበኞች ግንቦት 7

አርበኞች ግንቦት 7ን ለማጠናከር የተዘጋጀ ህዝባዊ ሰብሰባ እና የገንዘብ ማሰባሰቢያ ዝግጅት በሲያትል ከተማ ይካሄዳል :: በዚህ ሃገራዊ የሰብሰባ ጥሪ ላይ ከፍተኛ አመራሮች የሆኑት አቶ ኤፍሬም ማዴቦ እና አቶ ሙልነህ ኢዮኤል የተጋበዙ ሲሆን በዚህ ታላቅ ዝግጅት ላይ በመገኘት ድርሻዎትን እንዲወጡ በትህትና እንጠይቃለን ::

Date – Saturday Jun 6 , 2015

Place – Ethiopian Community Mutual Association
8323 Rainier Ave S. Seattle WA, 98118

Time – 1pm to 6pm

Ethiopia: Onslaught on human rights ahead of elections – Amnesty

The run-up to Ethiopia’s elections on Sunday has been marred by gross, systematic and wide-spread violations of ordinary Ethiopians’ human rights, says Amnesty International.

“The lead-up up to the elections has seen an onslaught on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. This onslaught undermines the right to participation in public affairs freely and without fear as the government has clamped down on all forms of legitimate dissent,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

The Ethiopian authorities have jailed large numbers of members of legally registered opposition political parties, journalists, bloggers and protesters. They have also used a combination of harassment and repressive legislation to repress independent media and civil society.

The lead-up up to the elections has seen an onslaught on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. This onslaught undermines the right to participation in public affairs freely and without fear as the government has clamped down on all forms of legitimate dissent.Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

In the run-up to Sunday’s elections, opposition political party members report increased restrictions on their activities. The Semayawi (Blue) Party informed Amnesty International that more than half of their candidates had their registration cancelled by the National Electoral Board. Out of 400 candidates registered for the House of Peoples Representatives, only 139 will be able to stand in the elections.

On 19 May, Bekele Gerba and other members of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC)-Medrek were campaigning in Oromia Region when police and local security officers beat, arrested and detained them for a couple of hours.

On 12 May, security officers arrested two campaigners and three supporters of the Blue Party who were putting up campaign posters in the capital Addis Ababa. They were released on bail after four days in detention.

In March, three armed security officers in Tigray Region severely beat Koshi Hiluf Kahisay, a member of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (EFDUD) Arena-Medrek. Koshi Hiluf Kahisay had previously received several verbal warnings from security officials to leave the party or face the consequences.

In January, the police violently dispersed peaceful protesters in Addis Ababa during an event organized by the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ). Police beat demonstrators with batons, sticks and iron rods on the head, face, hands and legs, seriously injuring more than 20 of them.

At least 17 journalists, including Eskinder Nega, Reeyot Alemu and Wubishet Taye, have been arrested and charged under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP), and sentenced to between three and 18 years in prison. Many journalists have fled to neighboring countries because they are afraid of intimidation, harassment and attracting politically motivated criminal charges.

Civil society’s ability to participate in election observation has been restricted under the Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSP) to only Ethiopian mass based organizations aligned with the ruling political party.

Amnesty International calls on the Africa Union Election Observation Mission (AU EOM) currently in Ethiopia to assess and speak to the broader human rights context around the elections in both their public and private reporting. It also calls on the AU EOM to provide concrete recommendations to address the gross, systematic and widespread nature of violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly which have undermined the right to participate in public affairs freely and without fear.

“The African Union’s election observers have a responsibility to pay attention to human rights violations specific to the elections as well as more broadly,” said Wanyeki. “The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights protects the right of Ethiopians to freely participate in their government. This right has been seriously undermined by violations of other civil and political rights in the lead-up to the elections.”

Background

Amnesty International has been monitoring, documenting and reporting on the human rights situation in Ethiopia for more than four decades.

Since the country’s last elections in 2010, the organization has documented arbitrary and politically motivated arrests and detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, as well as gross, systematic and wide-spread violations of the rights to freedom of expression and association.

source: www.amnesty.org

ምርጫው በካድሬዎችና ደህንነቶች ወከባ ጀምሯል -- የመርገጫ ቀለሙ የሚለቅ ነው ተብሏል

• የመርገጫ ቀለሙ የሚለቅ ነው ተብሏል

ዛሬ 12 ሰዓት የጀመረው ምርጫ በወከባ ተጀምሯል፡፡ ኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎች መራጮቹን በመጠርነፍ እንዲመርጡ እያስገደዱ እንደሆነ አዲስ አበባ ውስጥ ከምርጫ ጣቢያ 03 የደረሰን መረጃ ያመለክታል፡፡ በዚሁ ምርጫ ጣቢያ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች እንዳይገቡ ታግደው በማርፈዳቸው ወረቀት ሳይቆጠር ምርጫው ተጀምሯል፡፡ በተመሳሳይ በወረዳ 15 ምርጫ ጣቢያ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች ‹‹አትገቡም!›› ተብለው ወከባ እንደደረሰባቸው የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ዕጩ የሆኑት አቶ ተገኔ ጌታነህ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡ 
በሌላ በኩል ወረዳ 6 ምርጫ ጣቢያ 20 መራጮች ጣት ላይ የሚደረገው መርገጫ ቀለም የሚለቅ እንደሆነ ታውቋል፡፡ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች ቀለሙ የሚለቅ መሆኑን ገልጸው ቃለ ጉባኤ እንዲያዝላቸው ቢጠይቁም የምርጫ አስፈጻሚዎቹ ፈቃደኛ ሊሆኑ አልቻሉም፡፡ ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ በሁሉም ምርጫ ጣቢያዎች የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች በገዥው ፓርቲ ካድሬዎችና ደህንነቶች ወከባ እየደረሰባቸው እንደሚገኝና አንዳንዶቹ በወከባው ምክንያት በቦታው አለመገኘታቸውን ዕጩዎቹ ገልጸውልናል፡፡

በደቡብ ክልል የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች እየታሰሩ እንደሚገኙ የፓርቲው አስተባባሪዎች ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገለፁ፡፡ በሀድያ ዞን ጌጃ ከተማ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ የምርጫ ታዛቢ የሆኑት አቶ በየነ ጫፎን የደኢህዴን ካድሬዎች የንግድ ቤታቸውን በማሸግ እንዳሰሯቸው በሀድያ ዞን የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ አስተባባሪ አቶ ሳሙኤል አቦቼ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡ ምርጫ ቦርድ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ለታዛቢነት ያቀረባቸውን ሰዎች ስምና አድራሻ ለደኢህዴን ካድሬዎችና ደህንነቶች አሳልፎ ስለሚሰጥ ታዛቢዎች በስፋት እየታሰሩና ወከባ እየደረሰባቸው እንደሆነም አቶ ሳሙኤል ገልጸዋል፡፡ 
በሌላ በኩል ሚዛን ቴፒ ላይ መንግስት ‹‹የሸፈቱ ሰዎች አሉ›› በሚል ሰራዊቱን በማስፈሩ ምክንያት በህዝብና በሰራዊቱ መካከል ውጥረት እንደተፈጠረና ነዋሪዎች ግጭት ይነሳል በሚል ከአካባቢው እየለቀቁ እንደሚገኙ ምንጮች ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡ በዚህ ስጋት ውስጥ ታዛቢዎች ከቦታ ቦታ ተዘዋውረው ምርጫውን ለመታዘብ እንዳይችሉ እንቅፋት እንደተፈጠረባቸው የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ሰብሳቢዎች ገልጸዋል፡፡ በስጋቱ ምክንያት አካባቢው እስኪረጋጋ ምርጫው እንዲራዘም ቢጠይቁም ደኢህዴን ፈቃደኛ እንዳልሆነ ገልፀዋል፡፡

በምስራቅ ጎጃም ዞን ደብረ ማርቆስ ከተማ ለሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ሊታዘቡ የነበሩ የዩኒቨርሲቲ ተማሪዎች የግቢ የኢህአዴግ ድርጅት ጉዳይ ኃላፊዎች ‹‹የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢ ከሆናችሁ ከትምህርት ትባረራላችሁ›› ብለው ስላስፈራሯቸው በቦታው እንዳልተገኙ ለማወቅ ተችሏል፡፡ ሌሎች ታዛቢዎችም በትናንትናው ዕለት የታዛቢነት መታወቂያ ከተሰጣቸው በኋላ በደረሰባቸው መከባ ምክንያት በቦታው እንዳይገኙ ተደርገዋል ተብሏል፡፡ 
በምስራቅ ጎጃም ዞን አብዛኛው የምርጫ ጣቢያዎች አንድ ለአምስት የጠረነፉት የኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎች ለሌላው ሰው እየመረጡ እንደሆነ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ም/የድርጅት ጉዳይ ኃላፊ አቶ በቃሉ አደነ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡ ጉዳዩን ለምርጫ ቦርድ አሳውቀው ‹‹አሁን እንፈታዋለን!›› ቢሉም እስካሁን አልተፈታም ብለዋል፡፡

ሲዳማ ቦርቻ ወረዳ ደግሞ 26 የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች ታስረው የታዛቢነት መታወቂያቸውን እየመለሱ ሲለቀቁ፣ ሶስቱ መታወቂያን አልመልስም በማለታቸው አሁንም እንደታሰሩ ናቸው፡፡ በጉራጌ ዞን የም ልዩ ወረዳ ደግሞ 48 የሰማያዊ ታዛቢዎች በቁም እስር ላይ መሆናቸው ታውቋል፡

ወሎ መርሳ ውስጥ የኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎች 1ለ5 ለጠረነፏቸው መራጮች እየመረጡ ነው ተብሏል፡፡ በቦታው ሌሎች መራጮችንም እያስገደዱ መሆኑ ተገልጾአል፡፡ ዋድላ ወረዳ በሚገኙ ምርጫ ጣቢያዎችም የብአዴን ካድሬዎች በግዴታ እያስመረጡ መሆኑን ከታዛቢዎች የደረሰን መረጃ ያመለክታል፡፡ በተመሳሳይ ሰሜን ቆቦ 09 ቀበሌ የቀበሌው ሊቀመንበር መራጮች ብአዴንን መምረጥ እንዳለባቸው እያስገደደ መሆኑን መራጮቹ ገልጸዋል፡፡

ባሌ ውስጥ ባሉ የምርጫ ጣቢያዎች የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች እንዳይገቡ ተከልክለዋል፡፡ የኦህዴድ ታዛቢዎች ብቻ ገብተው እንዲታዘቡ ተፈቅዶላቸዋል ተብሏል፡፡

ስልጤ ዞን ላንፎሮ ወረዳ ሱልጣን ኤገኑ የተባሉ የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ዕጩ ታስረዋል፡፡ ታዛቢዎች ቤታቸው ተከቦ ወደ ምርጫው እንዳይሄዱ ተደርገዋል፡፡ ካድሬዎች በር ላይ ቆመው መራጩ ማንን መምረጥ እንዳለበት እንደሚናገሩ ተገልጾአል፡

አዲስ አበባ ውስጥ የወረዳ 6 የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች ችግሮች እንዲቀረፉ ብንጠይቅም መፍትሄ ማግኘት አልቻልንም ብለዋል፡፡ ታዛቢዎቹ ከተሰለፈው ህዝብ በስተጀርባ እንዲቀመጡ በመደረጋቸው ካርድ የሚሰጡትን፣ ቀለም የሚቀቡትንና ሌሎቹንም ተግባራት መከታተል እንዳልቻሉ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልፀዋል፡፡

መድረክን በመወከል አዲስ አበባ ወረዳ 19 ላይ የቀረቡት አቶ አብርሀም ሳልህ በ146 የምርጫ ጣቢያ ላይ ያሰማራኋቸው ታዛቢዎቼ ጠዋት ላይ ወደ ጣቢያዎቹ ሲያመሩ ደብዳቤ ካላመጣችሁ ብለው እንደመለሱባቸው ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡ በሌላ በኩል ግን ኢህአዴግ ሁለት ሁለት የራሱን ታዛቢ ያለደብዳቤ አስቀምጧል ይላሉ፡፡

የወረዳ 20 የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ዕጩ አቶ እስክንድር ጥላሁን ታዘን ነው ያሉ የፖሊስ አባልና አንድ ሲቪል ‹‹መኪናህ ይፈለጋል፡፡ መንጃ ፈቃድህን ስጠን›› በሚል ከቦታ ቦታ እንይነቀሳቀስ መደረጉን ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጾአል፡፡ የአቶ እስክንድር ታዛቢዎች ወደ ምርጫ ጣቢያው ከሌሊቱ 10ና 11 ሰዓት አካባቢ በሚሄዱበት ወቅት ‹‹ከፓርውና ከምርጫ ቦርድ ደብዳቤ ካላመጣችሁ›› በሚል እንዳይገቡ መደረጋቸውን ገልጾአል፡፡ የሌሎች ፓርቲዎች ታዛቢዎች ደብዳቤ እንዲያመጡ ያልተጠየቁ ሲሆን አቶ እስክንድር ምርጫ ቦርድ ደውለሎ በጠየቀበት ወቅትም ‹‹የሰጠናቸው መታወቂያ ብቻ በቂ ነው፡፡ ደብዳቤ አያስፈልግም›› እንደተባለ ገልጸዋል፡፡ ‹‹ደብዳቤ ካላመጣችሁ›› ተብለው የተጉላሉት የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ታዛቢዎች አብዛኛውን ሂደቶችን መታዘብ አልቻሉም ተብሏል፡፡

PM Haile-Mariam warns opposition parties, leaders on election riot ESAT News May 21, 2015

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Haile-Mariam Dessalegn, sent a strong warning to opposition parties in EPRDF controlled parliament. He did not particularly name the parties.

The Prime Minister labelled the leaders of the opposition parties as, half-hearted who entered the election hoping to use riot and chaos to fulfill their dreams.

Haile-Mariam said some opposition parties were lobbying the electorate, “We have already won the election and if we lose the election; it must have been rigged so you should be aware of this and respond accordingly.”

Ato Haile-Mariam informed the parliament that the government could take serious measures to the extent of “devouring opposition leaders”.

He said that security officers have made adequate preparations to take measures against those who incite violence.

The PM said the “stooges of Shabia (Eritrea’s ruling party) work 24/7 destabilize the country but have so far been unsuccessful because the public did not give them support.” He said the capacities of the Ethiopian Defence Force have been well-developed.

ESAT had reported that Haile-Mariam was recently evaluated by his own party members and had received a median score in his performance.

Ahead of the election, Federal Police force was deployed around the country to exert psychological pressure on the public; the youth and civil servants are also being arrested and beaten.

Gathering, talking in groups and sitting in recreational areas has been is considered as conspiring against the regime.ESAT received reports that members of Arena Party, who were campaigning at the Atsbi Wenberta Woreda of Tigray region, were attacked by ruling party supporters. Kirbom Haileselassie, Woldeabraha Gebremedhin, Woldegebriel Hailu and Negasi Kinfu are currently receiving treatments at hospitals in Tigray. Many other members of the Party are also receiving treatment after they were beaten severely.

Source: ethsat

Armed Ethiopian opposition Groups sign cooperation agreement

Opposition rebel groups fighting against the Ethiopian government have signed a cooperation agreement that they say would culminate in eventual unification.

In a press statement sent to ESAT on May 15, 2015, Tigray People’s Democratic Movement, Gambella People’s Liberation Movement, Benishangul Peoples Liberation Movement, Amhara Democratic Force Movement and Arbegnoch Ginbot 7 for Unity and Democratic Movement had signed an agreement to liberate the people of Ethiopia from suppression and to bring democracy and stability to the country. “Our intention is to save the country and its people from the looming danger,” says the press statement released on Friday May 15, 2015. The groups in their statement said that suppression, harassment, torture, kidnaping and killing under the current TPLF/EPRDF regime have exacerbated in Ethiopia, and it is time for Ethiopians to stand in unison to free the country and its people from the minority dictatorship.

It is recalled that Ginbot 7 and Arbegnoch Ginbar have recently merged to fight dictatorship in Ethiopia. Other five organizations are expected to follow suit soon, and the progress would be publicized for the public, according to the press release.

The five armed groups called Ethiopians living in the country and abroad to cooperate and extend their support in their endeavor to bring about freedom and justice to the country.

Source: ethsat

Closed his campaign with guerrilla theater

Ethiopia's ruling EPRDF party ended his campaign before Sunday's election with a huge rally in the capital Addis Ababa. The opposition says that election already is settled on advance.

The ruling EPRDF party ended his campaign Thursday with a rally in the capital Addis Ababa where they played out scenes from the time the party was guerrilla fighters who fought against the ruling Communist Party.

PHOTO: ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER / AFP

EPRDF has ruled Ethiopia since the guerrilla movement party rooted in, took power in 1991.

And they threw EPRDF - or the Ethiopian peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front is the party's full name - the Communist Derg regime that had been behind a brutal one-party rule.

On paper, an Ethiopia a democracy and EPRDF has won clear victories in all elections.

At the last selected Tues. 2010 the party won all but one of the 547 representatives in parliament.

The activity of the largest market in Africa, Mercato in Addis Ababa, testify the economic growth Ethiopia is experiencing.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN ELSTER / NRK

Strong economic growth

The regime shows that Ethiopia has had an economic growth of over ten percent in each of the past five years and is one of the great success stories in Africa.

• 30 years ago the famine

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took power after predecessor Meles Zenawi died in 2012.

PHOTO: MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH / REUTERS

- There have been improvements and people have seen it, said government spokesman Redwan Hussein told AFP.

From the party's point of view it's uncertainty that this time set with another man at the helm than the longtime leader Meles Zenawi.

Zenawi was guerrilla manager who became prime minister and reigned forward to he died abruptly in 2012. He zamenen ot the former water the engineer Haile Mariam Desalegn.

After three years of Desalegn as prime minister, the party quite confident of victory Sunday.

- We'll look at the numbers, but I do not think we're going to lose many seats, says Redwan Hussein.

The ruling EPRDF party are based in Tigray province north of Ethiopia and accused of giving more money to this part of the country. In Tigray province capital Mekele is economic prosperity visible in the street scene.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN ELSTER / NRK

Almost 90 million inhabitants

36.8 million of Ethiopia's almost 90 million inhabitants has registered themselves as voters.

Sets 58 parties electoral lists, but human rights groups and the opposition accuses the regime of ruthless repression of the political opponents and the press.

In Bahir Dar and other Ethiopian cities is tuk-tuk-taxis a popular mean of locomotion for the emerging Ethiopian middle class.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN ELSTER / NRK

At least 19 journalists and bloggers are imprisoned, many of them charged with terrorism-related offenses.

The national electoral commission, which monitors elections, has sent around 40,000 election observers.

Unlike the last election is not foreign election observers from EU invited this time.

Denied party leader to ask

Also opposition politicians are imprisoned and, according to Amnesty International often comes reports that dissidents are subjected to violence and torture.

Over 40 percent of the population in Ethiopia is - like these young girls in Wukro Churkos - under 15 years.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN ELSTER / NRK

- Our people are being detained and harassed by EPRDF members and uniformed police. We have repeatedly asked to hold demonstrations and election meetings, but has been refused each time, says party activist Solomon Tessama from opposition party Blue Party.

Yet Blue party a certain hope of winning more seats this time than the one that the opposition did five years ago.

- People's anger grows each time. With strong resistance from the people and demands for change we can win in any of the cities, says Blue-party leader, Yilekal Getin.

Even getting however Getin chance to get a seat in the National Assembly;he refused to ask the Election Commission.

Source: NRK

Ethiopia’s ruling party touts growth before vote, critics say freedoms suffer

By Aaron Maasho and Drazen Jorgic

AF.Reuters

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopians vote on Sunday in an election likely to hand another sweeping victory to the ruling party, which boasts of delivering one of the fastest growing economies in Africa though opponents say it has crushed dissent at the same time.

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been in power since 1991, during which time the nation that was shattered by communist purges in the 1970s and a 1980s famine has drawn increasing foreign investor interest.

“Our past was bleak but the country has turned around its fortunes,” retired teacher Dawit Haileselassie said at an EPRDF rally in Addis Ababa this week where thousands gathered, close to a memorial museum to the victims of “Red Terror” purges.

He said he would be voting for the EPRDF. Its leader, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, took Ethiopia’s top post after the death in 2012 of Meles Zenawi, the rebel-turned-statesman and architect of the country’s transformation.

Unofficial results are likely to emerge in a few days, while the final tally will not be declared until next month.

Ethiopia has built new roads, railways and hydro-electric dams at breakneck pace, and attracted foreign brewers, textile firms and others. The World Bank said the economy would grow at 10.5 percent in the year starting July 2015.

But economists say heavy state investment, while driving growth, risks squeezing out private businesses vital to job creation in the Horn of Africa state.

Telecoms is a state monopoly, and foreigners cannot invest in banks or the retail sector.

Opponents say political freedoms have been trampled on, adding the polls will not properly reflect public opinion in a nation of 96 million people and 37 million registered voters.

“This is a government that says ‘this is the only way and there is no other way’,” said Bekele Gerba, a member of the biggest opposition grouping, the Medrek coalition, who was jailed for four years on what he says were trumped-up charges.

SOLE OPPONENT

The government insists it guarantees free speech and does not jail anyone for their political views, accusing its opponents of being disorganised and lacking popular policies.

The outgoing parliament of 547 seats has just one opposition member. While 57 parties are taking part in the vote, experts say hardly any offer real opposition.

“I will not vote this time,” said Mikael, a taxi driver, who declined to give his last name for fear of government reprisals, adding that the EPRDF did “not play a fair game”.

Ethiopia’s newest opposition group, the Blue Party, said election authorities cut its list of 400 candidates to just 139.

Western donors have criticised the government for jailing bloggers and journalists. Officials say it only detains people for criminal offences.

The opposition won an unprecedented 147 seats in an election in 2005 but most did not join parliament, saying the ballot was rigged. In that vote, opponents swept up seats in Addis Ababa.

Loyalties 

are more difficult to gauge in rural parts of the country, where many live in poverty.

“In really rural areas, people don’t know anyone other than EPRDF, who put their logo on state handouts, like seeds and fertiliser,” said a political analyst who asked not to be named.

Source: satenaw

Ethiopia's election is a wake-up call on human rights and sound governance

 An election rally staged by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front in Addis Ababa. There is widespread public indifference about the poll. Photograph: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters

frica’s largest exercise of political theatre. A decade-long campaign by Ethiopia’s government to silence dissent forcibly has left the country without a viable political opposition, without independent media, and without public challenges to the ruling party’s ideology.

For most Ethiopians, these elections are a non-event.

The one potential dividend of these sham polls, however, is the international attention they will garner for the government’s growing political repression. The blatant disregard for internationally recognised standards for free and fair elections just might convince Ethiopia’s largest donors that it is time to rethink their relationship with an increasingly authoritarian government.

As long as democratic governance and respect for human rights are pushed aside by donors in favour of economic development and security cooperation, Ethiopia’s long-term stability is at serious risk.

Since 2005, the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF) has cracked down on independent media and human rights groups.

In 2009, parliament passed the charities and societies proclamation, which placed restrictive regulations on non-government organisations, including limitations on foreign funding. Today,only a handful of these groups exist, and most are struggling to survive.

The preferred government strategy for eliminating independent media is to file criminal charges against publishers, and to impose hefty fines and prison terms. When lawsuits do not succeed, the government simply arrests journalists, as occurred last year when bloggers and journalists affiliated with the Zone 9 blogging collective were apprehended. The group remains imprisoned and charged as terrorists.

Post-election, the EPRDF, secure in its hold on power, might be willing to allow a small degree of dissent: Ethiopian officials are increasingly wary of reactions by the international community to the crackdown on critics and in 2013 published anational human rights action pla

The US, UK and European Union – Ethiopia’s largest donors – need to increase their support for democracy and human rights because much can be done right now.

Despite years of political repression, a new generation of human rights defenders is slowly emerging. The Zone 9 bloggers represented this new generation, using new technologies to educate fellow Ethiopians on exercising and defending their rights.

The human rights and democracy groups that remain are finding creative ways to conduct their work. This includes working with traditional development organisations, which the government generally tolerates, or focusing on seemingly apolitical issues, such as government accountability and corruption, that are important in strengthening Ethiopia’s democracy.

Donor countries fall short in their support for these groups. In the US, President Barack Obama’s latest budget request includes some $400m (£257m) in assistance to Ethiopia – but only $2m of it is for democracy and human rights programming.

The UK is equally parsimonious in democracy support. One reason is that the EPRDF makes it difficult for domestic groups to accept outside aid.

Donors could take concrete action right now. First, supporting off-shore programming allows activists to travel outside Ethiopia to get technical and strategic advice. Second, donors’ strategies for Ethiopia should include funds specifically dedicated to strengthening independent media outlets and journalists; the EU intends to take this step after the election.

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 A poster demanding the release of UK citizen Andargachew Tsege, who was kidnapped in Yemen last June and is being held in Ethiopia. Photograph: Stephen Chung/Alamy

Also, donors can find ways around foreign funding restrictions by pushing for the creation of funding pools considered local under Ethiopian law. The EU did this in 2011, when it created the Civil Society Fund, providing assistance to local human rights and democracy groups. The US should use its economic and diplomatic leverage to do likewise, a move that would provide a much-needed lifeline for these groups.

Greater funding for human rights will be vital for Ethiopian activists, whose reach has been limited by the charities and societies proclamation.

Before that came into being six years ago, the country’s leading human rights organisation, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), operated with abudget of $400,000 and 60 employees.

Today, its budget is less than half that figure, and staffing is down 80%. The only thing keeping EHRCO alive is financial aid from the EU Civil Society Fund.

Ethiopia receives nearly $4bn in official development assistance. This is more than any other country in Africa and makes up a significant portion of the government’s annual budget. If the US, UK, EU and Canada coordinated policies, Ethiopia would have to respond to their human rights and democracy concerns.

Ethiopia’s election should be a wake-up call for the international community. With each successive election that does not allow genuine choice, both apathy and resentment grow, and Ethiopia risks falling prey to the same instability that has plagued its neighbours.

• Daniel Calingaert is executive vice-president of Freedom House. Kellen McClure is an advocacy officer in its Africa programmes
• Source: theguardian

ምርጫ ውጤታማ የሚሆነው አስፈፃሚዎቹ ከወገንተኝነት ሲፀዱ ነው

“ምርጫ ዓለምአቀፍ ተቀባይነት ያለው የዴሞክራሲያዊ ሥርዓት መገለጫ ነው። አንድ ሃገር ነፃ፣ ፍትሃዊና ዴሞክራሲያዊ ምርጫ በማካሄድ የሥልጣን ዝውውር ካላደረገ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ተብሎ ሊገለፅ አይችልም” ዶክተር ዓለምአንተ ገብረሥላሴ ስለ ምርጫ ምንነትና መገለጫዎቹ በሰጡትን ትንተና ነው ይህንን ያሉት።  

“ዴሞክራሲያዊ ምርጫ ማለትም አንድ ሕዝብ በሥልጣን ላይ ያለውን መንግሥት የሥራ ክንውኖች ጥሩውን ከመጥፎው ለይቶ የሚገመግምበት፣ በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ ሥልጣን ይገባናል የሚሉ አዳዲስ ተወዳዳሪዎችን የፖለቲካ ፕሮግራም መርምሮ ለራሱ የሚበጀውን በማመዛዘን ውሣኔ የሚሰጥበት ሥርዓት ነው” ብለዋል ዶ/ር ዓለምአንተ።

“አንድ ምርጫ ውጤታማ የሚሆነውም የምርጫ አስፈፃሚ አካላት ከወገንተኝነት የፀዱና የዴሞክራሲያዊ ምርጫ መሥፈርቶችን ሁሉ በማሟላት ሕዝቡን ወክለው ሲሠሩና የምርጫ ውጤት ምንም ይሁን ምን ተወዳዳሪዎች የሕዝቡን ውሣኔ ሲቀበሉ ነው” ብለዋል።

ዶክተር ዓለምአንተ ገብረሥላሴ ለሃያ ዓመታት ያህል ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ቨርጂንያ ግዛት በሚገኘው ዊልያም ኤንድ ሜሪ ኮሌጅ ሕግና ሕገ መንግሥትን አስተምረዋል፡፡ አሁን ጡረታ ላይ ናቸው።

ዕሁድ፤ ግንቦት 16 ኢትዮጵያ ከምታካሄደው ጠቅላላ ምርጫ ዋዜማ ትዝታ በላቸው ሰለ ነፃ ምርጫ ፋይዳና መገለጫዎቹም አነጋግራቸዋለች።

ለሙሉው ውይይት የተያያዘውን የድምፅ ፋይል ያዳምጡ፡፡

http://amharic.voanews.com/content/dr-alemante-gebreselasie-about-free-and-democratic-elections-05-22-15/2786687.html

Source: VOA

የዞን 9 ማስታወሻ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ሃይለማርያም ደሳለኝ ምርጫውን አስመልክቶ

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ሃይለማርያም ደሳለኝ ምርጫውን አስመልክቶ ከአልጀዚራ ቴሌቭዥን ጋር ቆይታ ባደረጉበት ወቅት በተደጋጋሚ ስለዞን9 ጦማርያን አና ሶስቱ ጋዜጠኞች ተጠይቀው በጥቅሉ የሚከተሉትን ምላሾች ሰጥተዋል፡፡
1. ከሽብርተኛ ድርጅቶች ጋር አንደሚሰሩ እርግጠኞች ነን ብሎገርነት ስም ሽፋን ነው 
2. ፓርላማ በሽብር ከመደባቸው ድርጅቶች ጋር እንደሚሰሩ ማስረጃ አለኝ የድርጅቱን ስም ግን አሁን አልናገርም ምክንያቱም የፍትህ ሂደቱ ላይ ተጽእኖ ላመጣ እችላለሁ
3. ከሽብርተኛ ድርጅት ጋር ላለመስራታቸው (ለፍርድ ቤቱ) ማስረዳት አለባቸው
4. አንድ ዓመት እስር ለሽብር ህግ ምንም ማለት አይደለም

የጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩን ንግግር አስመልክቶ ከዚህ በፊት በእስር ላይ ከሚገኙት ጦማርያን እና ጋዜጠኞች ግልጽ ደብዳቤ የጻፍን ቢሆንም ጠቅላይ ሚንስትሩ በዛሬውን ንግግራቸው የተለመደውን የአመክንዮ፣ የሃቅ እና የህግ ስህተቶች ፈጽመዋል

1. የዞን9 ጦማርያን የሽብርተኛ ድርጅት አባል ለመሆናቸው የቀረበባቸው ምንም የአባልነት ማስረጃ የለም ፡፡ ፍርድ ቤት ላይ የቀረቡ ማስረጃዎችም ይህንን አያስረዱም ፡፡
2. በፍርድ ቤት የተከሰስነው የግንቦት ሰባት እና የኦነግ አባልነት መሆኑ በግልጽ ተቀምጦ ሳለ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ሚስጥር ማስመሰላቸው ጉዳዩ ላይ እውቀት አንደሌላቸው ያስረዳል፡፡
3. በመሰረታዊ የህግ መርሆ መሰረት ከሽብርተኛ ድርጅት ጋር አለመስራታችንን ማስረዳት ሳይሆን መንግስት በአቃቤህግ በኩል ወንጀል መስራታችንን ነው ማስረዳት ያለበት ፡፡ የማስረዳት ሸክሙን እኛ ላይ በመጣል መሰረታዊ የህግ ጥሰት ከመፈጸማቸውም ውጪ መንግሰታቸው የሚሰራበትን "ሁሉም ሰው ወንጀለኛ ነው ወንጀለኛ አለመሆኑን ማስረዳት አለበት" የሚል ትችት የሚሰነዝሩ ዜጎችን አንደወንጀለኛ የማየት አቅጣጫ ፍንትው አድርጎ ያሳያል ፡፡ በዚህም ወጣት የህግ ባለሞያዎች እንዳሉበት ስብስብ አፍረናል፡፡
4. መሰረታዊ የሆነው አፋጣኝ ፍትህ የማግኘት መብት በተራዘመ ምርመራ እና የፍርድ ቤት ቀጠሮ መጉላላት መጣሱ መንግስትን አንደማያሳስበው ማየታችን አሁንም አሳፍሮናል፡፡ አገራችን በፈረመቻቸው አለም አቀፍ የሰብአዊ መብት ህጎች መሰረት አፋጣኝ ፍትህ ማግኘት የዜጎች መብት ሲሆን የመንግሰት ከፍተና አመራረር ያለምንም ማፈር የመብት ጥሰቱን መከላከላቸው አስገራሚ ነው ፡፡

በመሆኑን ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩም ሆነ ሌሎች ከፍተኛ የመንግሰት ባለስልጣናት ያልተፈረደባቸውን ተከሳሾች ሽብርተኛ በማለት መፈረጃቸው አንዲያቆሙ ፣ መሰረታዊ የወንጀል ህጎቸን አንዲያከብሩና አንዲያስከብሩ ልናሳስብ አንወዳለን፡፡

የዞን9 ጦማርያንም ሆነ ወዳጅ ጋዜጠኞች በምንም አይነት ወንጀል ተሳትፈው የማያውቁ ሲሆን ክሳቸውም ፓለቲካዊ ነው ፡፡ ተከሳሾቹን በነጻ ማሰናበት ለመንግሰት በጣም ቀላሉ ችግሩን የመፍቻ መንገድ ነው ፡፡

ስለሚያገባን እንጦምራለን!
ዞን 9