EPRDF Official Says May Election Will be Credible
Tigrai Online
Jan. 20 2010
An official of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) says the party is working with opposition parties to ensure the upcoming general election scheduled for May this year is free and fair.
Sekou Toure said international observers have been invited to monitor the vote.
“We have internationally accepted code of conduct or laws for the political party activities and these laws are internationally accepted. International observers will be here, they (have) already been invited to observe our election. And the people of Ethiopia in different ways have already elected their public observers for the elections,” he said.
The upcoming vote scheduled for May this year will be Ethiopia’s first since the 2005 disputed election in which about 200 opposition partisans were reportedly killed by the police.
Toure said the election will strengthen Ethiopia’s democracy.
“We are trying to work with the opposition political parties to make sure that everything is done according to the law. And we are really hopeful to work together and make it democratic and finally the whole process will be good. The playing ground will be level for every political party and finally, it will be credible,” Toure said.