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Election |
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May 2005 Election Activities |
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EPRDF, Opposition Parties Debate on National Security, Foreign Policy The ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) said its polices pertaining to security and international relations have registered remarkable results benefiting both the people and the country. Having identified poverty as the major threat for national security, EPRDF has been working vigorously to tackle the challenge by way of promoting national interest. Opposition parties, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), on their part condemned the policies and demanded their immediate change. They said the foreign policy has dented the peoples' pride and put the security of the country at a greater risk. The parties aired their views at a debate transmitted live from Sheraton Addis. Organized by the Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Vision for Justice Ethiopia, the debate was one of a series of election campaigns that was going on for months. Carter Center to Observe May Elections
The Carter Center is to observe the May 15, 2005 national elections as per the invitation extended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and welcomed by the National Electoral Board. A news release the center issued said the center's election observer mission follows an assessment trip in January 2005 during which the Center met with government representatives from the parliament and Foreign Ministry, opposition party leaders, and the representatives of civil society organizations. The Mission opened an office in Addis Ababa on March 19, 2005. The 50 member delegation will be led by former US president Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, former Botswana President, Sir Ketumile Join Masire, former Tanzanian Prime Minister Judgwe Joseph Warioba, and Carter Center Executive Director, John Hardman. Mayor: Youth Benefit Most from Ongoing Development Programmes City Mayor, Arkebe Equbay says the youth benefit most from the ongoing development programmes in the metropolis. Talking to a monthly magazine of the youth, 'Baladera', Mayor Arkebe Equbay said the city government has been undertaking youth-centred development programmes geared toward addressing the high rate of unemployment. Some 64,000 youngsters in the city were newly hired the previous year with 62,000 others employed over the last six months. NEBE Issues Elections Guideline he National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced that it has issued a new guideline for polling stations in a bid to make the procedure of casting ballots efficient and convenient. The Board said that the polling stations' guideline clearly identifies the duties of the five election executives. It also defines the rights and responsibilities of journalists, mobile observers, public observers, and representatives of the contesting candidates. The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced that election documents needed for balloting are readied for distribution nationwide except in the Somali State, where elections would be conducted in August. Board Logistics Allocation and Distribution Section head Biruk Wondwossen said that printing, allocation and packing of election documents for all states has been completed. The transportation and distribution of the documents will begin on April 27, 2005. |