Ethiopian parliament adopts new election law
Oppositions divided over the law

By Hallelujah Lulie

ADDIS ABABA,Ethiopia- The Ethiopian parliament adopted a new election law with a majority vote on Thursday that will create a new structure for the national election board and add new practices in the nation’s future elections.

The new law which was presented to the house last March has been discussed by the ruling party and opposition parties in parliament for weeks. It is different from the privious law that it will give place for the opposition parties to participatre in the process of nominating the election board officials.

The law was ratified with 309 in support and 86 votes against while 4 abstained from voting. However, most opposition parliament members objected to the fundamentals of the law and asked for further discussion on the law and amendment on major ponts like how to nominate the national election board members, international obserevers and the capacity of the election board and others.

Three of the four major opposition voices in the Ethiopian parliament rejected the ratification of the law and asked for further discussions and amendment while EUDP MEDHIN said that the law has some contentious points but will accept the overall document.
Mr. Temesgen Gebru representative of Union of Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) said that although there has been a series of discussions regarding the law, they are not worth it and cannot bring any significant changes , “its articles on observers and the election of election board officials are problematic,” he said.

Temesgen from the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) said that the law denounces people’s legacy to power and is against the constitution of the land the “the law is a threat to the fundamental principle of election and democracy which is the power of the people. The new law paves way for partiality in the election processes of the country,” he said. Bulcha Demeksa chairman of Oromo Federal Democratic Movement (OFDM) also said that the law is made in a way to benefit the government.

The other opposition in the house EUDP MEDHIN said that although it has some reservations on the new law, it will not reject the law . “There are some points we don’t agree on but we want to put more emphasis on the implimentation of the good sections of it, ” Lidetu Ayalew, chairman of the party said.
The law gives much emphasis on the capacity building of the national election board, its structure and facilities. Currently the national election board is dismantled . The NEBE was established in 1993 as an independent body for conducting, in an impartial manner, free and fair elections in Federal and State constituencies.

It has the power to rectify electoral irregularities and investigate complaints submitted to it. It may cancel election results and order fresh elections where it finds that there have been violations of directives or fraudulent acts or disturbances of the peace of such magnitude that they would create irregularities in the election process.

The Board also compiles and analyses statistical data and, where necessary, makes recommendations to parliament concerning improvements in the electoral process.