U.S. Troubled By Reports from Ethiopian Election Observers

By Stephen Kaufman

Washington, DC May 26, 2010 - The Obama administration praised the people of Ethiopia for participating in a peaceful May 23 parliamentary vote, but expressed concern over reports by international observers that the elections "fell short of international commitments." It urged Ethiopian authorities to address concerns over the vote with "good faith and impartiality."

In a May 25 statement, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer described limitations placed on independent observers, such as preventing U.S. Embassy officials from leaving the capital to observe the vote and harassing independent media representatives. He called such actions "deeply troubling."

"An environment conducive to free and fair elections was not in place even before election day," Hammer said.

According to preliminary results, incumbent Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling party is believed to have won a landslide victory. Ethiopian opposition leaders reportedly have said they will not accept the results and have called for a new vote.

Hammer urged all parties to reject violence as the electoral process concludes and said the United States is waiting to hear the final assessments of the current vote by independent observers.

He said that in recent years the Ethiopian government "has taken steps to restrict political space for the opposition through intimidation and harassment," as well as by tightening its control over civil society and curtailing the activities of independent media in the country.

"We are concerned that these actions have restricted freedom of expression and association and are inconsistent with the Ethiopian government's human rights obligations," Hammer said.

"We urge the Ethiopian government to ensure that its citizens are able to enjoy their fundamental rights. We will work diligently with Ethiopia to ensure that strengthened democratic institutions and open political dialogue become a reality for the Ethiopian people," he said.

The European Union's Observation Mission (EU EOM) in Ethiopia released a preliminary statement May 26 that cites "several positive improvements" over previous elections, but concludes that the electoral process "fell short of certain international commitments, notably regarding the transparency of the process and the lack of a level playing field for all contesting parties."

The election observers said the political arena leaned in favor of the ruling party "in many areas," noting that the main opposition had been fragmented after the 2005 elections and that important opposition figures had left the political scene. In addition, "changes to the legal framework have resulted in a cumulative narrowing of the political space within the country," the preliminary report says.

The report says that although Ethiopian media coverage of campaign events generally was neutral and proportional, the Voice of America's Amharic Service had been jammed during the last two weeks of the campaign, which "contributed to reduce the possibility for voters to receive information from a wider range of sources."

The EU EOM statement says the mission plans to publish its final report approximately two months after the electoral process in Ethiopia has ended.