Tedla Asfaw
By now you all must have heard that the so called Election in Ethiopia this past Sunday was peaceful. What you have not heard is why this one is in fact is breaking the record not only on voters turnout but also in rigging election. We heard about ethnic cleansing in the 1990s in former Yugoslavia, the Meles led party pioneered Cleansing Election Observers before voting starts. This is carried out in the cover of darkness throughout Ethiopia.
VOA and German Amharic reported from all over Ethiopia that people went out in large number to vote. Their vote however is left for government cadres and security forces in most of the areas cleansed from assigned election observes by the opposition. Breaking the agreement the names of the observers were handed to government officials who went in dark from door to door buying and intimidating election observers.
The VOA report from Mekele University polling stations is a good example which is true for other areas. There was no single election observer from the opposition side in the college campus according to the young woman. Who is going to believe the allegations that this is the failure of the opposition party ? I heard also in west Ethiopia, Welega opposition observers from Medrek who escaped the cleansing that had not reported back. Who knows where they are ?
After cleansing the voting booths from opposition observes the rest was a home run for ruling regime. The people vote hoping their votes to be counted but the result has already been tabulated way before the polls close. This is a disgrace by all measurement, we can call it clearly an ELECTION RAPE !!!!
The Ethiopiafirst Editor from Addis Ababa yesterday was denouncing the presence of hundred observers from Europe as an insult to our pride. He said this should have been an Ethiopian affair. This was an Ethiopian affair in 43,000 election booths Ben. Election Observing is the God given right to Meles Zenawi Leku Sewe/wise man and his company. The presence of one hundred or so foreigners is not insulting our pride at all. The TPLF/EPRDF bees have stung opposition observers and the game was over before it starts. Winning marathon by turning off the clock.
What Ben the Editor hide is the fact that the names of opposition observers was handed to TPLF on the night before election to harass, buy and intimidate them. That is the reason why this election should be registered as an election our people vote peacefully without their vote being counted. A big insult to all who lined up to vote hoping their vote will count.
AEUP and Medrek leaders will stand with the information they got from the field and call this election a fraud and most of all by its true name, an Election Rape !!! The TPLF/EPRDF has declared official war on peaceful struggle on May 23 and gave legitimacy for armed movements like OLF and ONLF. New one are going to follow soon with huge support from the public.
The division that started in the diaspora following the signing of the Code of Conduct is now history. As of yesterday we are all AEUP and Medrek. We should stand with them and call for rerun of this election or leave the political field to those who will challenge the regime in a language it knows. A sad day for peaceful struggle !!!
