Voting tense in Ethiopia opposition bastion

FE Team | Published: May 24, 2010 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Pakistan cricket team captain Misbah-ul-Haq addresses a press conference after a team training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city Saturday. — AFP Photo

AMBO, Ethiopia, May 23 (AFP): Ethopians rushed to cast their ballots Sunday in the opposition bastion of Oromiya, as last-minute claims of irregularities added to tensions after a campaign marred by violent incidents.
The southern region is home to Ethiopia's largest tribe and saw a drive by a new opposition coalition -- Medrek -- to end Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's nearly two-decades-old stranglehold on the country.
Polling was peaceful and voters turned out in numbers as soon as polling stations opened.
"I've been here since 6:00 am to make the most of the opportunity given to us," said a 36-year-old teacher after casting his ballot, refusing to reveal who he voted for.
"As you can see the elections are being carried out peacefully, and it's my hope that the whole affair ends peacefully," he added.
But one Medrek ("forum" in Amharic) candidate, Worku Feyira, claimed that election observers from his party were initially denied access to several polling stations in the city of Ambo.
"Out of the 24 polling stations in Ambo, only ten were observed by our members since the beginning at 6:00 am. We suspect there might have been foul play. Who knows what happened between 6:00 and 8:30?," he said.
Hundesa Madesa, a representative from the national electoral board, downplayed the incident.
"I haven't seen a single individual who was denied access," he said.
"One of their observers was not allowed until 8:30 because his name didn't match the list they gave us earlier. But we have managed to solve the problem and now he's observing the elections."
A policeman was killed by members of the opposition during the campaign in the region, according to the police, while a grenade attack hit a pro-government party rally and an opposition leader died in mysterious circumstances.
Oromiya has the largest number of constituencies among the nine regions of the Horn of Africa country. The 27 million Oromos make up more than a quarter of the Ethiopian population of 80 million.