Patrick Leahy: “on May 15, 2005, Ethiopia held the first open, multiparty, democratic elections in its 3,000-year history. It was an…”

“on May 15, 2005, Ethiopia held the first open, multiparty, democratic elections in its 3,000-year history. It was an important milestone that gave the people of that country a sense of national pride and hope. Unfortunately, the elation that was so evident on election day was short lived. International observers cited serious vote counting irregularities and flaws in the electoral process. Nearly 25 million Ethiopians--90 percent of eligible voters--went to the polls, and early counts indicated strong support for the opposition. As it became clear that the ruling party was in danger of losing its grip on power, the Government stopped the vote counting in a blatant move to manipulate the results. Accusations of vote rigging forced the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, NEBE, to delay the release of the official results. The controversy led to protests in Addis Ababa, the Oromiya regions, and other provinces. On June 8, in response to protesters challenging the provisional results of the elections, Ethiopian security forces are accused of shooting at least 40 protestors, killing 26, temporarily detaining over 500 student protestors and arresting at least 50 people. Ethiopia's main opposition political party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party, CUDP, refused to take its seats in Parliament in protest of the election results.…”