Ethiopian Review
July 12, 2005

Preparations are underway by the Coalition for Unity & Democracy (CUD) to take over the Addis Ababa City administration. A personnel selection committee chaired by Dr Shimelis TekleTsadik is preparing a list of individuals who will take over the mayorship as well as the hundreds of other city administrative posts. The overall transition process is being managed by CUD Vice-Chairman Dr Admassu Gebeyehu.

Meanwhile, a newspaper closely associated with the ruling party, the Nation, reported yesterday that the Ministry of Justice has accused top leaders of the Coalition for Unity & Democracy (CUD) of inciting unrest among university students.

CUD spokesperson Dr Hailu Araya told Ethiopian Review today that he heard about such threats only from unofficial sources. He could not confirm the report. But said CUD is calling for the formation of an independent commission that will investigate the June 8 killing of students and other unarmed civilians.

Similar calls have been made by other Ethiopian groups, as well as the international community, including the latest European Union resolution.

The vote probing process, which is CUD’s top priority currently, is not going well, according to Dr Hailu. EPRDF authorities do not even pretend to act legally now. They are intimidating, harassing and arresting witnesses who testify on behalf of CUD and UEDF. There are instances where they fired gun shots at witnesses.