The 2nd historical error of Meles and his ruling party

Summery,

Ethiopians voted on Sunday 23 of May 2010 in the first elections since a disputed 2005 poll to elect new parliament members. It is remembered that mentioned previous elections were blamed by allegations of government vote-rigging and nearly 200 people died in post-poll violence
• As per Reuters: Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and allied parties had won 534 seats out of 536 declared, giving Meles nearly every seat in the 547-member parliament.
• As per BBC news preliminary vote result the governing party has won 499 of 536 seats declared
• The EU observers, U.S. Department of State officials for Public Affairs and US –Congressman questioned the election process and result ,
Even so the numerical figures are questionable, it is clear that the preliminary result give victory to EPRDF. The present blog give personal comment to this hot issue.

Detail
It is know that Ethiopian voted on last 23 of May, 2010. As per BBC news preliminary vote result the governing party has won 499 of 536 seats declared, which is more than 93%. Also others media like Voice of America (VOA) has noticed similar figure. As per the numbers of news, the senior political parties’ leaders and popular individuals have lost the election except 2 or 3 votes.

About this figure all opposition parties and human right watch clearly declared the voting process was not free and fair. The following reasons were mentioned as problem:
• Intimidation of Political Opposition: violence, arbitrary arrest, and detention of opposition supporters. Uneven political field, the use of government power and means for the election purpose.
• Repression of Civil Society: Witnesses were politically influenced and others was intimidated or removed using various means
• Silencing the media, including the attempt to bug Voice of America (VOA), which is know accepted by Meles. Also, as per the president of Deutsche Walle radio (Germany radio in Amharic language) and numbers of listener from Ethiopia have proved that the radio is bugged by Ethiopian governments.
• Unable to make fair evaluation of abuses and crimes
• Prohibition of USA witness group to rural part of election site
• Organizing the rural people by strategy known as 5 to 1. This means one EPRDF member or sympathizers will lead rural people to force or influence the vote in rural people. This mischief was suspected by US vote observers but their intension of seeing this fact was
Taking into consideration the current Ethiopian political, economical and ethnical condition I believe in whatever measure, if the election becomes free and fair EPRDF never will win. It is shame that 93% vote victory on a country where:
1. The population is has exhausted from economical problem. In most Ethiopian house there is no money to get food. Never the economy of common citizen has been most horrible like the current time of Meles. The inflation in Ethiopia is horrible.
2. In system of governance of Meles based on ethnicity most of Ethiopian are unwilling to be governed by solders predominately from one ethnic group that dominantly concentrated on the unilateral grow of their Tigray region and Tigrary monopoly at nationwide. It is absurd to believe that more than 90% of voters in all over the Ethiopia voted again EPRDF to rule them for more five years
3. On a Country where the opposition leaders, free press writers and free-opinion issuers are in jail or out of the country in asylum it is hard to believe Ethiopian are willing to accept EPRDF as ruling party for next five years
Simple way of indirect means of proofing the election vote un-trueness is just seeing the reader comment about Oppositions parties’ leaders and Meles interview with different media. If you have time read the following public comments. The majority of comments are opposition that for sure they will not give him the reelection vote
1) Meles Zenawi talk to Jazeera – English
http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=talk_to_jazeera_meles_zenawi_video&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
2) Aregash Adane was one of the TPLF's top women fighters during the gorilla-war of EPRDF. She is the opposition candidate challenging to Meles. As per her inteview to VOA, she has more than 2000 party members and supporter at Mekele University but she did get zero vote from the university area polling station.
3) Ethiopia: NEBE announces preliminary election results
http://www.ethiopian-news.com/ethiopia-preliminary-election-results/
4) Zenawi claims election win in Ethiopia despite poll fraud claims
http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?blog=5&title=zenawi_claims_election_win_in_ethiopia_d&page=1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1&disp=single
5) Our real allies are Ethiopians who are fighting Meles – Ed Ryoce (US –Congressman)
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/28088
6) Numbers of comments without names getting the Deutsche Walle radio (Germany radio in Amharic language) show the great oppositions against the number of vote victory issued by EPRDF governments.
U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley on May 26, 2010 slammed the tribal ruling junta in Ethiopia for conducting an unfair election on May 23. Among other things he said "through out the electoral process freedom of choice for voters was constrained by the actions and inactions of Ethiopian government officials, the national elections board of Ethiopia, and the ruling political party."
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/28084
2) As stated on BBC news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10153216.stm ) EU observers have criticised Ethiopia's election, as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi held a victory rally attended by tens of thousands of people
For my surprise I did not expect such landslide number. I expected that they manage the vote percent on such a way they frequently do. I expected as they take the percent of votes that permit them to dictate in the parliament (house of representative) and distribute others percent to opposition party or individuals so that the international opinion gets the democratic feeling about Meles and his ruling party. I think God has his own reason to happen on this way. I think this is the 2nd historical error of Meles Zenawi and his ruling party. We know the 1st big error is the result of election 2005.
What was the government reaction? As per BBC news, Meles say that “The people's vote will not be overturned by foreign forces” and
They say to international media about the “government has worked hard to improve infrastructure” this few thing they can do in comparison to the money they are getting as loan to be paid by future generation of Ethiopians. Most of the constructions are owned by by Meles (ruling party) ethnic group but the money loaned belongs to all Ethiopian citizens. In addition, consider the power projects and building construction project that waste huge moneys. It is good to see the Takaze and Gilgele Gibe hydroelectric projects. Ethiopian wish to invest more on peace among Ethiopian ethnic group, Ethiopian wish more to investment on equal opportunity of jobs, Ethiopian wish to invest more in real freedom of expression, … the Haity, Chile, and others country with experience of seismic eruption show us buildings may be destroyed in given few mints but the healthily development of citizen is the real development and the real resource of a nation.

Conclusion
As shown above taking into consideration the current Ethiopian political, economical and ethnical condition it is not difficult to proof that if the election becomes free and fair EPRDF no longer will win. The fact can be made hidden for given time and people can be ruled by force but EPRDF cannot say Ethiopians are managed democratically. The USA observer group has discovered that the strategy of EPRDF government vote-rigging at rural area no longer functional. Unless by dictatorial force no longer EMPRDF can say that he has ensured vote at rural area.
In the history of humanity there were times for bad rulers, likewise we the Ethiopians are on one of that case, which will be not forever. This so called national election has proved One-Man-Dictatorship in Ethiopia and who the democracy is going on back-ward direction in Ethiopia.

I have a hope on the next generation of Ethiopian managements.
God blasé to Ethiopia,

The landslide victory propaganda of EPRDEF means the reverse for most Ethiopians

For Ethiopians the elections are not new phenomena. We have been testing the election during the Emperor Haile Selassie, The Derg military regime and under the present regime. In all of them the absences of the basic elements of free and fair election have and continue to be major similarities between all three rulers. When the political space opened, like in the 2005 election, the opposition attempted to mount vigorous challenges to the ruling party, the population got a chance to know who is who and attended the vote station massively without any force. When the ruling party notified their victory on the opposition side their supporters and members were brutally repressed, killed and/or “disappeared”.
Having the past experiences and taking into consideration the current new repression tactics, numbers of obstacles put and untrue propaganda, the majority of Ethiopians have lost a hope of free & fair election during the upcoming May 23, 2010 national election. Now, most Ethiopians are looking forward whether some miracle may come as result of individual effort during the poll day as well as the favorable event that may be originated from the ruling party home-region (Tigray Region) first time opposition parties’ elections paraticipation.
What is the driving force of ruling party to conduct national election? It is clear there are two major reasons:
1. Within the country, justify the ruling system as democratic system and “legalize” their Omni-power in front of any internal opposition.
2. In the international contest, consider them as democratic government to convince developed countries to gent political support and economical aids.

How we can show to the world the mischief, wrong propaganda and use of excessive forces to get their objective of governing forever? It is well known that even so it is not easy the only way is having an internationally and nationally credible witness on the election process.
Witnesses play key roles on making public the fairness of the vote counting and the process of voting in general. When I am thinking on the importance of witness I am wondering why the Carter Center is not participating as witness in the current Ethiopian Election 2010. What is the way US government and public in general get will evaluate the fairness of the present election?
We remember about the President Obama's speeches regarding the African rulers to make free and fair elections, respect the rule of law and win the trust of their population if they want any kind of open alliance with the USA government. If Carter center is not witnessing in this election, do have the Obama administration another means to check unfairness of the election process? When we are at less than a week for vote days nothing is known about except the European Union witness group, African Union election witness group and nationally governments trusted group of person. If I try to evaluate capability of these three groups, the best way is summarizing the public felling regarding to these issues, which are given bellow.
1. European Union witness group has few members nearly 150 persons, which is small quantity compared with the size of Ethiopian territory and populations. EPRDF are well organized to manage this amount of people to do their vote homework
2. African Union election witness group are coming or sent by governments with similar nature where there is no publicly accepted reports from them. They tend to support the ruling party.
3. From the Ethiopian witness, it is very difficult to express ideas against the ruling party and live on the same place on post election.

In addition, EPRDF has made a good preparation to manage wrongly so that the vote become on the side of EPRDF. For examples:
1. As per Dr Beyene Petros at rural population are organized so that the ruling party ensures the winning votes. Organization known as 1 leader to 5 rural peoples. The objective of the organization is ensuring the vote by control of fertilizer, harvest, land .... etc.
2. The media communication is controlled by EPRDF. For the reason of the election the debate was given 20% of air time for the opposition parties and 80% for them self (EPRDF)
3. The people are not expressing them self, they are fearful… probably great majorities will not vote.
4. Repressive laws such as the NGO Law restricting civic society, the so‐called “anti‐ terrorism” law that criminalizes dissent and creates a pretext for suppressing any political opposition have been passed. The opposition parties have been unable to function in any meaningful manner, their members and supporter are jailed, disappeared, tortured and their offices closed/destroyed.
5. The free press has been decimated and many independent journalists forced to exile, jailed or have simply given up and/or exercise fear‐induced self censor.
6. As variously reported by Human Rights Watch, Genocide Watch and others, the government has and continues to be involved in serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity including a possible genocide.
7. The political debates have been conducting by non-neutral chair person while during the 2005 election it was conducted by nationally recognized politically neutral personality.
8. The government on the other hand has been preparing for the upcoming national election in May 2010. Through the use of illegal state power, bribing, intimidation, etc., it has been reported that the ruling party may have already secured every vote to be cast in the election in advance of the election itself.
9. Highly undemocratic practices by the ruling group are currently keeping the opposition not only from the possibility of winning the election but also running freely in the election itself. As recently reported by MEDREK (the coalition of 8 political parties excluded from the ongoing negotiation), their offices are closed, their movements restricted, and their supporters harassed, imprisoned and/or “disappeared”.
10. The judiciary is another problem for it has mainly been a political tool of the ruling party.
For any democratization to take place in Ethiopia, at a minimum, a new mechanism has to be put in place to make sure that the army is restricted from any partisan intervention and the election board stays free from government influences as well as the law be trusted among the poblation and the ruling party members. It is not enough to say that it will be impartial and will remain impartial during the election. Time and again, it has proven to be otherwise. The fact that it is the guerrilla force of the EPRDF/TPLF that was transformed into the current national army is no secret. As such, the top officials of the army continue to be members of the guerrilla force as well as the ruling TPLF/EPRDF.

No Ethiopian needs reminding about the horrors that followed the disputed 2005 election. Nearly 200 protesters killed in the streets by security forces, more than 100 opposition leaders, arrested, convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison before being pardoned.
One of the opposition party leaders called Merera says a big true, EPRDF now controls all local administrations, and this election will be a struggle to prevent Ethiopia from becoming a one-party state. I think, the EPRDF does not like to be called one-party state, so after gaining the required majority vote they will distribute as they want to others opposition parties.
We are tired of looking the same face again and again 40 plus years of Haile Selassie, 17 years of Mengistu and now 18 plus years of Meles Zenawi. It is clear demonstration that Meles Zenawi is pretending to be another Haile Selassie, another Fidel Castro of Cuba nearly more than 50 years in power that ruining the majorities of Cubans. I am so sorry of being a current generation or citizen of a country governed by dictators’.