Ethiopia: Ruling Party and Allies Claim All Parliamentary Seats

Washington

In response to the announcement of the final results of Ethiopia’s May 24 parliamentary elections, giving the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its allies all but one of 546 seats, Freedom House issued the following statement:

"These results are hardly a surprise given that the elections were less about a competitive process than an affirmation of EPRDF’s iron grip on power," said Vukasin Petrovic, director of Africa programs, ‘By taking virtually all seats in parliament, the ruling EPRDF once again confirmed that it does not allow a true, participatory political process.”

Ethiopia is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2015, Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2015, and Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2014.