ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ruling party said it would form a new government on Thursday, despite the opposition’s refusal to accept the results of May elections it says were fraudulent.
The African Union appealed to political parties in the Horn of Africa country to settle any disputes through the courts and dialogue. Opposition parties are due to announce on Thursday how they intend to challenge the election results.
The latest in a slow trickle of results from the May 15 parliamentary poll confirmed Meles on Tuesday as winner of a second term in Africa’s top coffee grower.
Claims of fraud in what was considered Ethiopia’s most democratic poll sparked protests and a military clampdown that left at least 36 people dead.
The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) said in a statement that the opposition was calling for the formation of a national reconciliation government through power-sharing but that this was not acceptable.
“The question of sharing power through negotiation will not be acceptable,” EPRDF said. “According to the national constitution, only the party which wins a majority vote can form the government. Any anti-constitutional move will not be accepted to just quench the thirst of power of the opposition.”
The opposition parties were not immediately available for comment.
In what appeared to be an endorsement of the process, the Addis Ababa-based AU praised Ethiopians’ participation and the nation’s “democratisation” in general.
“The African Union … appeals to all political parties to work together in the national interest and if need be, pursue any outstanding issues through due processes of the law and agreed mechanisms including dialogue,” it said in a statement.
“The African Union wishes to congratulate the people of Ethiopia for having freely expressed their will,” it said.
CONSTITUENCY RESULTS
The latest batch of constituency results announced by the National Election Board gave EPRDF 296 parliamentary seats, past the 274 it needs for a majority.
The two main opposition coalitions, other opposition parties and independent candidates now have 176 out of 547 seats, far more than the 20 they had in the last parliament.
EPRDF affiliates won another 20 seats.
The main opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) has said the electoral board was biased toward the ruling party.
It and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) opposition party were to hold a news conference on Thursday to outline how they would challenge the result.
Meles has in the past been feted by Western leaders and was a prominent member of the British-sponsored Africa Commission giving recommendations to the G8 group of rich nations on how to tackle the continent’s problems.