• Update: Leader of European Union election observation mission said the Ethiopian election has fallen short of international standards. According to EU chief Thijs Berman, there was "uneven playing field" adding that ”There were reports of harassment and intimidation, including cases of violence voiced both by the opposition and to a lesser extent by the ruling party. The sheer volume and consistency of these complaints is a matter of concern that has to be taken into consideration.” Meanwhile, the Meles ruling party is claiming that it won 499 seats out of the 547-member parliament.
  

(JT) Medrek opposition coalition leader Dr. Merera Gudina said his party will not accept the results released by the Ethiopian election board according local media reports. Meanwhile, Engineer Hailu Shawel, leader of the second largest opposition party All Ethiopia Unity Party (AEUP) said the voting and election counting process has been worse than he expected.

Medrek and AEUP said virtually all their election observers have been chased away by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front( EPRDF) party cadres and the results of the election is fully dependent on the decision of the office of the prime minister. Analysts expect the ruling party controlled election board to allocate seats to ruling party affiliates in regional states.

Chairman of the third opposition party EDP, Lidetu Ayalew, sarcastically told the local media that the EPRDF ruling party might win 99 percent of the votes. According to him, early results announced by the election board are unrealistic even for a rigged election.

Opposition members have complained of government intimidation and have witnessed pre-filled ballot boxes in some polling stations.

Unconfirmed sources said prominent ethnic Tigrayan opposition officials Siye Abraha and Gebru Asrat have reportedly lost the election as Meles Zenawi's Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is expected to take all seats in Tigray as well. In Addis Ababa and other cities where the opposition swept the 2005 election, the results have been reversed in 2010 as the ruling party is expected to take 99 percent of the seats in the city where it is the most unpopular.

Arrests

Oromo-Ethiopian political analyst Jawar Siraj Mohammed said the election has "embarrassed the Meles ruling party in the eyes of the international community." Oromo opposition leader Merera said "an election where our observers were not allowed will not be recognized."

"Ballot boxes were opened and stuffed before the arrival of our people" added Dr. Gudina and declared "all this cheating was done with millions of witnesses." Africa director at Human Rights Watch Rona Peligal said that "behind an orderly facade, the government pressured, intimidated and threatened Ethiopian voters." Some opposition officials said they will challenge the results in courts, however the judiciary in Ethiopia is also controlled by Meles Zenawi's party.

Sources in Jimma and Wellega zones in southern Ethiopia have told Jimma Times media that dozens of opposition supporters have been arrested in western Oromia. The country remains tense and many fear violence due to people's anger could inflame the nation unless opposition leaders calm the situation. However, opposition leaders do not have access to the state media anymore as the national ETV has returned back to its regular programming of EPRDF propaganda.