Ethiopian Review
July 1, 2005
Shocked by the opposition parties’ landslide victory in Addis Ababa and every other constituency where international observers were present, EPRDF is fighting hard to make sure that it decisively wins the upcoming elections in the Somali Region.
The elections are scheduled for next month, August 21.
Elections in the Somali region could not be held at the same time on May 15 with the rest of Ethiopia due to security problems.
At stake are 23 parliamentary seats. Because of lack of finance, CUD is able to line up only 17 candidates. According to CUD spokesperson Dr Hailu Araya, their candidates are aggressively campaigning to win all the 17 seats. He said it’s tool late to line up more candidates.
CUD’s campaign in the Somali region is becoming highly successful because it is campaigning on a message of hope and harmony among ethnic groups and clans. CUD’s message includes peace, economic development and democratic rights.
EPRDF is sending a different message. It is resorting to the basest instincts of people: fear and hate. The EPRDF cadres tell the voters that CUD will bring “Amhara domination” to the region, but if EPRDF is elected, it is willing to allow the region to secede.
This time it seems that most of the voters are not buying the tired old EPRDF message of ethnic division and Amhara hating.
The most recent tactic EPRDF using is trying to disqualify CUD candidates claiming that they are not natives of the region. So far, EPRDF succeeded in having the Election Board to reconsider the status of 5 of the 17 candidates.
The rules written by the EPRDF itself allows candidates to run in any constituency. One of the well-known beneficiaries of this rule is EPRDF Minister of Information Bereket Simon who registered as a candidate in Wollo, a place he never lived in.
CUD is not challenging the EPRDF candidates’ qualifications, because of lack of resources.
Another tactic EPRDF using is that it doesn’t campaign under it’s own name. It created other groups bearing the region’s name, but tightly controlled by EPRDF officials in Addis Ababa.
Most of CUD’s candidates are from the Somali ethnic groups. CUD was able to successfully recruit strong candidates locally. It’s difficult for EPRDF cadres to go to Jijiga from Addis Ababa and tell a voter that his neighbor is going to “dominate” him.
The local people want to live in peace. For the past 14 years there was never peace in the region, as EPRDF turned one clan against the other by arming and giving money to the clans it favors.
EPRDF is spending a great deal of money for its campaign in the Somali region. Some of the money is being used to try to bribe CUD candidates to change their party affiliation. EPRDF is also giving a lot of money to clan leaders.
CUD is financially weak. It’s candidates do not even have sufficient money to print fliers and pay for travel expenses. Had CUD been financially strong, it could win all the parliamentary seats allocated for the region. The people are angry at the EPRDF and want change.
One of the CUD representatives in the region ER talked with today expressed his frustration that the top leadership is preoccupied with other matters and is giving little attention to the election campaign in the region. He is not blaming the leadership. He says that he knows the kind of pressure they are under. One way to solve such a problem is to decentralize CUD’s operations, which is currently highly centralized. It seems that without orders or directions from Addis Ababa nothing is done any where in the country.
CUD’s strength in the Somali region is originating from the people’s desire for change. Could this alone be enough to win?