Djibouti: Ruling Coalition Claims Election Victory, Opposition Cries Foul
By Harbi Abdillahi Omar,
25 February 2013
Djibouti - Djibouti's ruling party announced Saturday (February 23rd) that
it won Friday's parliamentary election, quickly followed by accusations of
widespread fraud from the opposition.
Interior Minister Hassan Darar Houffaneh said the ruling Union for the
Presidential Majority (UMP) party secured 49.39% of votes against 47.61% for
the opposition in the capital city, home to three quarters of the
population.
The ruling party was also ahead in the other voting districts, he said.
Of the 114,733 voters registered in the capital constituency, 75,983 cast
their votes, giving a turnout figure of 66%. The UMP polled 36,794 votes and
the opposition Union for National Salvation (USN) coalition polled 35,464
votes. The centrist Centre for Unified Democrats (CDU) party captured just
2.91% of the vote.
The UMP is the party of President Ismael Omar Guelleh and has held all 65
seats in recent parliaments.
Results challenged
The preliminary results were immediately challenged by the opposition
coalition, which claimed the election had been rigged.
USN spokesman Daher Ahmed Farah called the official results a "joke".
"The UMP is conducting massive fraud as usual," he told reporters.
Before the election, opposition parties accused the government of censorship
and creating an unfair advantage by blocking their websites.
Friday's elections saw various opposition parties unite behind a common
programme focusing on human rights, developing independent media and
fighting against "tribalism, corruption and nepotism".
Opposition leader in Djibouti city Ismail Guedi Hared cast his vote at a
polling station at the Zone Portuaire Sud school. Just after sliding his
ballot paper into the box, Hared told Sabahi he was "confident the USN list
will come out on top in the election".
"We are hoping to achieve a victory that will go down in the country's
history," he said.
The leader of the UMP's list, Finance Minister Ilyass Moussa Dawaleh, cast
his vote at the Djibouti Waste Management Office polling station, and also
expressed confidence in the election results.
"We are hoping to gain the trust of Djiboutians," he told Sabahi.
He denied the opposition's allegations, calling them unfounded. "I am
completely taken aback by these allegations. It is nothing new for us to see
the opposition making accusations of fraud," he said, inviting USN leaders
to file an appeal with the Constitutional Court.
"Every effort has been made by the organisers of these elections to ensure
that the election is transparent and the opposition was 100% in favour of
them," he said.
Opposition to hold protest rally
The opposition is preparing to hold a protest rally on Monday at
Independence Plaza, three kilometres south of downtown Djibouti, where the
USN headquarters is located.
Police were dispatched on Sunday to patrol the area, making many residents
anxious that the protests may lead to violent clashes when demonstrators
begin arriving on Monday.
"If the opposition has grievances they should address them through the legal
system instead of destroying the city in violent demonstrations," said
35-year-old entrepreneur and UMP supporter Mohamed Waberi, urging all
citizens to follow the law.
But Hawa Obsieh, 45, a middle school teacher and mother of two, said relying
on the judiciary would be pointless because the government lacks checks and
balances.
"All the judges in the Constitutional Court are appointed [and approved] by
the president," she said.
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Received on Mon Feb 25 2013 - 12:36:57 EST
