Ethiopian leader bans rallies after disputed election

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi banned all demonstrations and rallies and took personal control of the security forces and police after parliamentary elections held on Sunday.

Mr Zenawi, a leading member of Tony Blair's Commission for Africa, said in a televised statement that he would protect the nation "from elements who want to foment trouble".

He explained: "Those who may have reservations over the election results are expected to air their grievances through the constitutional processes. Anything that violates the constitution will not be tolerated."

Ethiopia's main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) complained that the government had allowed widespread election fraud and had arrested several of its election observers in the run-up to the polls. It threatened to refuse to recognise the results of the election in certain areas.

The CUD vice-chairman, Berhanu Nega, said: "In many places our poll-watchers are being kicked out and we don't know who is counting the vote."

Mr Zenawi, who took power when his rebel group overthrew the brutal Marxist government in 1991, is considered to be a moderate African leader, and has been keen to show off his democratic credentials, but critics say his actions are those of dictators everywhere.

In a report released last week, Human Rights Watch said the Ethiopian authorities had imprisoned and tortured political opponents in the Oromia region in the run-up to the elections.

The organisation said the government's human rights abuses were designed to make people too afraid to speak out during the election campaign.

About 90 per cent of Ethiopia's registered voters turned out to vote in the country's third multi-party elections, and more than 300 foreign observers were allowed into the country for the first time to monitor the voting.

EU observers admitted that polling officers in the eastern Harar region had intimidated people to vote for the ruling party, and that elsewhere they had seen children voting, but they insisted that overall the election was a victory for democracy.

Kemal Bedri, chairman of the National Electoral Board, said the election was conducted "in a generally smooth, efficient and peaceful manner".

He added: "This really was the most transparent election we've ever had. We don't have any complaints."

The CUD claims to have won 20 out of 23 seats in the capital, Addis Ababa, but Mr Zenawi is expected to easily win a third term for his ruling party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, with votes from the rest of the country. The final results are expected to be announced this week.

Ethiopia has one of the world's highest rates of malnutrition, and average of 10 per cent of the country's 70 million people receive international food aid. Much of the country's food problems were caused by the Derg regime, which prevented seeds and foods reaching areas which supported the opposition, but Mr Meles has also been blamed for not implementing reforms quickly enough.

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