Ethiopia 'is at a crossroads'
2005-09-15 13:21
Addis Ababa - Western donors on Thursday urged the Ethiopian opposition parties to drop their threat of boycotting parliament as a protest for alleged widespread fraud and irregularities in the May elections.
"We urge all parties to take their seats in the national assembly with goodwill and mutual respect to express the interests and views of all Ethiopians in a vibrant multi-party parliament," said a statement signed by 24 missions in Ethiopia.
The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its allies have won 370 seats, while opposition parties and one independent garnered 175 seats, according to results released by the country's electoral panel early this month.
Threats to boycott parliament sessions
The opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) have vowed to boycott parliament sessions scheduled to open early October to back their claims that the ruling party stole votes during the May 15 polls.
Opposition protests following early returns turned deadly when police fired on crowds during demonstrations in the capital on June 8, killing at least 36 and as many as 42 people.
In August the European Union said the elections failed to meet international standards in several key respects, including post-vote investigations into fraud, drawing harsh criticism from Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Work together
But the donors on Thursday pressed both sides to embrace dialogue and work towards avoiding a recurrence of such malfeasance in future elections.
"Ethiopia stands at a crossroads, if dialogue and a constitutional rule of law are abandoned, the gains of the past decade will be lost," the donors' statement warned.
"We look forward to a dynamic parliament in which the opposition has a strong voice and there is a spirit of inclusiveness and co-operation."
"Irregularities and violence" that occurred during the election process must be addressed so that they are avoided in the future, they added.
In a bid to ease the situation, the CUD and UEDF have twice appealed for the ruling party to accept the formation of a unity government.
They have warned that violence may recur without such a temporary power-sharing agreement and threatened to lead a campaign of civil disobedience and strikes should their demands not be met.
But Meles' EPRDF has firmly rejected the proposal, saying it would amount to a rejection of democracy and the people's will as expressed in the election.