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UK MINISTER FOR AFRICA “EXPRESSES CONCERN” OVER ETHIOPIAN ELECTIONS

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Source:  Addisstandard.com   As t he ruling EPRDF in Ethiopia claimed a  100% historic election victory , Britain’s   Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, calls on the government in Ethiopia “to increase diversity in parliament and ensure the voices of all citizens are heard”, a statement from the UK’s Foreign Office said yesterday. The statement quoted minister Duddridge as saying he welcomed “the fact that the recent Ethiopian parliamentary elections were conducted in a generally peaceful environment and that the Ethiopian people turned out in large numbers.” But he said he agreed with the “European Union concerns about the negative impact on the electoral environment of arrests of opposition members and journalists, closure of media outlets, and obstacles faced by the opposition while campaigning.” On the 100% electoral win for the ruling EPRDF, Mr. Duddridge urged the government in Ethiopia “to explore ways to increase the diversity of political parties in future par

Ethiopia declares election sweep for ruling party, critics cry foul

Ethiopia's ruling party has swept all but one seat in the election to the 547-seat parliament held in May, final results showed on Monday, again crushing an opposition that complained of voting abuses. Voting for the last seat was delayed after clashes between backers of an independent and those supporting the candidate of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). But the EPRDF is expected to win that too. Merga Bekana, the electoral board chairman, declared the final tally, barring the last seat, at a news conference. The opposition secured just one seat in the last parliament, after winning an unprecedented 147 seats in the 2005 election, which was marred by violence. The opposition did not take up their seats after that vote, saying the poll was rigged. Opposition activists have accused the authorities of irregularities and squeezing them out of politics in this latest and previous votes, a charge government officials dismiss. "Th

Ethiopian ruling party wins all parliamentary seats

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An Ethiopian woman casts her ballot as other queue up in Addis Ababa, during general elections on May 24, 2015 (AFP Photo/Zacharias Abubeker) Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopia's ruling party and its allies achieved a clean sweep in last month's general election, winning all 546 parliamentary seats, the final results showed Monday. African Union observers said the polls passed off without incident, but the opposition alleged the government had used authoritarian tactics to guarantee victory. The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn scored a landslide victory, stripping the opposition of the one seat it had held in the outgoing chamber, said Merga Bekana, chairman of the electoral board. Preliminary results for the one constituency that still had to return final results -- the southwestern Bonga district where elections were delayed -- showed the EPRDF also winning that seat. "The performance of the rulin

ADVANTAGE ETHIOPIA AS KENYA SLUMPS TO DEFEAT

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Kenya's hopes of reaching the African Nations Championship were dented by a 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia in the first leg of its preliminary qualifier. Goals from Aschalew Girma and Gatoch Panom gave Ethiopia the advantage ahead of the return meeting and delighted a huge crowd in Addis Ababa. To make matters worse for Kenya, Kevin Kimani saw a penalty saved in the closing stages - leaving Bobby Williamson's side with much work to do in the second leg. Ethiopia is 24 places above Kenya in the world rankings and claimed a deserved lead midway through the first half as Girma found the net. Panom, a scorer in his country's 2-1 victory over Lesotho last week, was given a chance to extend the lead with 14 minutes remaining when Biniam Assefa was brought down for a penalty. And the youngster made no mistake, converting from 12 yards to put Ethiopia in control. Kenya responded swiftly by winning a spot-kick of its own, but Tariku Getnet denied Kimani to ensure Ethiopia rema

Ethiopia needs more private sector investment to sustain growth: IMF

Ethiopia, whose economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, needs to encourage private sector investment to sustain its rapid expansion, the International Monetary Fund said. Hefty state-led investment has kept the economy of Africa's second most populous nation growing at more than 8 percent a year for over a decade, but economists say Ethiopia's rulers need to relax their grip and give room for more private enterprise to maintain momentum. Foreign investors are also barred from key sectors of the economy, such as banking or telecoms, which is a state-monopoly. The IMF said gross domestic product is set to grow 8.7 percent in the fiscal year ending in June, and 8 percent in the same period in 2015/2016. In 2013, it forecast Ethiopia's economy would expand by 7.5 percent in 2014/2015. "Looking ahead, the mission identified two key factors to sustain rapid and broad-based growth over the medium term: boosting domestic and foreign resource mobilisation, and red