May 23, 2005
Keeping count
Ethiopian Review has been having fun with the official figures coming out of the National Election Board. It points out the huge difference between the CUD and EPRDF numbers in Addis - the CUD got around 80 per cent of the vote in most seats while only one EPRDF candidate got above 20 per cent. The website also did some interesting arithmetic outside the capital:
In some woredas the opposition defeated itself by running against each other. For example, in Shoa Robit, the EPRDF was able to win, according to NEB's official numbers, by receiving 14,988 votes, while CUD received 12,254 votes, and UEDF received 11,011. The combined CUD/ UEDF votes is 23,265.For those who don't know, the CUD and the UEDF agreed to work together and form a coalition government if elected. But the agreement came too late for them to shuffle their candidates to avoid clashes like the one in Shoa Robit. Ethiopian Review has another example in Woliso 2.
UPDATE: Tobian ThinkTank is keeping count of these clashes. The last time I checked it had found six.
Posted by aheavens at May 23, 2005 6:17 AM