From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Apr 28 2010 - 07:20:16 EDT
Ethiopian government says opposition wants poll violence
Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:42am GMT
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The Ethiopian opposition may provoke violence during
the first national elections since a disputed 2005 poll ended with street
riots and the jailing of politicians, the ruling party has said.
The government said in 2005 that the violence was planned to force an
unconstitutional change after a vote in which both sides claimed victory.
Security forces killed about 200 people on the streets and the top
opposition leaders were imprisoned.
The ruling party said late on Tuesday that Beyene Petros, leader of the main
opposition coalition Medrek, told thousands of supporters it was possible to
oust the government violently.
"He said that if the public is not happy with a government they can create
some kind of problem, can protest and can bring down the government without
elections," ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
spokesman, Sekuture Getachew, told Reuters late on Tuesday.
"We can only guess they are inclining towards some kind of violent
activities," said Sekuture.
Beyene called the allegations "outrageous" and said his speech only
mentioned constitutional means of removing governments, such as votes of no
confidence.
"Violence was not implied at all in my argument," Beyene told Reuters. "I
was just talking about normal democratic process. They've been trying to
find something in an effort to incriminate us."
POSSIBLE PROSECUTIONS
The political climate in sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country
is closely watched by foreign investors showing interest in oil and gas
exploration and large-scale farming.
Analysts say the government is keen to avoid a repeat of the 2005 violence
and is closely watching the language opposition leaders use in their
speeches.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is expected to win the May 23 poll comfortably.
The opposition says this is because their candidates are harassed and people
in remote parts of the country are offered incentives to vote for the EPRDF.
The government says the opposition is trying to discredit the poll.
Meles has agreed an electoral code of conduct with three parliamentary
opposition parties. Medrek refused to sign, saying issues including reform
of the electoral board were left out.
Meles has warned that politicians who violate the code of conduct may be
prosecuted after the elections for contravening the country's constitution.
"Any statements that propagate violence and illegal ways of changing
government are banned by the code of conduct," Sekuture said.
Meles was hailed as part of a new generation of African leaders in the
1990s, but rights groups have increasingly criticised the former rebel for
cracking down on opposition.
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