The UEDF executive committee decided yesterday in a 10 to 3 vote not to enter parliament, but the chairman, Dr Beyene Petros, said he will not abide by the decision and will enter parliament on his own.
The executive committee also decided to discontinue negotiation with the Meles regime until Meles is willing to discuss the primary concerns of the opposition, including contested ballots.
As the next course of action, the executive committee decided to call a general strike next week jointly with the CUD.
The 60-member CUD Council postpones discussion on parliament until tomorrow. This was decided after the chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, requested delay until he arrives in Ethiopia from his trip abroad. According to inside sources, the council is now evenly divided on the question of entering parliament, and Ato Hailu’s arrival is expected to sway some member to his side. Upto yesterday, the informal count was 30 to 27 favoring entering parliament
The Council also today approved the Executive Committee’s decision to discontinue negotiation with the EPRDF until Meles agrees to include the issue of contested ballots in the agenda. The decision was 34 to 4.
The 60-member CUD Council postpones discussion on parliament until tomorrow. This was decided after the chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, requested delay until he arrives in Ethiopia from his trip abroad. According to inside sources, the council is now evenly divided on the question of entering parliament, and Ato Hailu’s arrival is expected to sway some member to his side. Upto yesterday, the informal count was 30 to 27 favoring entering parliament
The Council also today approved the Executive Committee’s decision to discontinue negotiation with the EPRDF until Meles agrees to include the issue of contested ballots in the agenda. The decision was 34 to 4.
Bereket Simon told the CUD and UEDF leaders yesterday that EPRDF is not willing to negotiate the demand by the CUD that reelection be held in the 299 contested electoral districts. The CUD leaders were upset and left the meeting without giving any statement to the press, but Bereket Simon, Dr Beyene Petros, and Dr Berhanu Nega, who injected himself into the negotiation, tried to give a positive spin to the negotiation process, while refusing to answer any question from the press. This is what Dr Berhanu read for the press:
Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I just will read the English version of our statement for today. We are not to take questions. The three parties have discussed two issues .The first is related to rules of engagement where we all have contributed positively and agreed upon. We have also identified eight agenda items to be discussed. The discussion was done in constructive spirit and it will continue tomorrow. Thank you
The eight agenda items mentioned by Dr Berhanu do not include CUD’s primary concern, i.e, contested ballots.
This has caused angry reaction today by most CUD council members. The council gave the delegates a strict instruction that if EPRDF refuses to discuss the 299 contested electoral constituencies, the negotiation must end.
The 60-member CUD central council will revisit the question of entering or not entering parliament tomorrow. After repeatedly telling the public that the issue of entering parliament is not important, Dr Berhanu Nega and his allies have put the matter before the central council on Wednesday, but the majority decided that it wants to know the result of the negotiation with the ruling EPRDF first. Another council meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, to discuss and decided on the matter again. Reportedly, the vote on Wednesday was too close, so the CUD Chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, has canceled his trip to Germany and is flying home to be present at the meeting.
The proponents of entering parliament are using tactics ranging from persuasion to intimidation. One of their arguments is that if CUD votes not to enter parliament, Meles will ban the party and put in jail the MP-elects. Those who oppose entering parliament argue that no matter what, they should respect the desire of the people because without popular support CUD cease to exist as a popular movement. Over 95 percent of the people of Ethiopia told both CUD and UEDF in no uncertain term not to enter parliament before making sure that the votes they cast on May 15 are properly counted.
In this raging debate, the lining up forces looks like this: On the side of those who are pushing for entering parliament are the Meles regime, American and European ambassadors, the factions in CUD that is led by Dr Berhanu Nega, and in UEDF by Dr Beyene Petros. On the side of the people of Ethiopia who have expressed a clear desire on this matter include CUD Chairman Hailu Shawel and about half of the CUD central council, the Chairman of the Coalition of Ethiopian Civic Associations, Dr Taye Woldesemayat, and all the civic associations in the coalition, a large majority of Ethiopians in the Diaspora, and most of the Ethiopian independent press journalists in Ethiopia.
Within the next few days, this matter will be settled one way or the other, but according to many observers it seems that the proponents of entering parliament have the upper hand currently, unless the opposition regroup and fight back vigorously in the next few hours and days. If the proponents of entering parliament win, it would be a betrayal of the people of Ethiopia whose desire of living in freedom and democracy will have been thwarted by the Meles regime with the collaboration of some opposition leaders in whom the people put their trust.
One may ask, what’s the alternative to entering parliament? Please read the following statement by the Network of Ethiopian Scholars as a reference:
The 60-member CUD central council will revisit the question of entering or not entering parliament tomorrow. After repeatedly telling the public that the issue of entering parliament is not important, Dr Berhanu Nega and his allies have put the matter before the central council on Wednesday, but the majority decided that it wants to know the result of the negotiation with the ruling EPRDF first. Another council meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, to discuss and decided on the matter again. Reportedly, the vote on Wednesday was too close, so the CUD Chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, has canceled his trip to Germany and is flying home to be present at the meeting.
The proponents of entering parliament are using tactics ranging from persuasion to intimidation. One of their arguments is that if CUD votes not to enter parliament, Meles will ban the party and put in jail the MP-elects. Those who oppose entering parliament argue that no matter what, they should respect the desire of the people because without popular support CUD cease to exist as a popular movement. Over 95 percent of the people of Ethiopia told both CUD and UEDF in no uncertain term not to enter parliament before making sure that the votes they cast on May 15 are properly counted.
In this raging debate, the lining up forces looks like this: On the side of those who are pushing for entering parliament are the Meles regime, American and European ambassadors, the factions in CUD that is led by Dr Berhanu Nega, and in UEDF by Dr Beyene Petros. On the side of the people of Ethiopia who have expressed a clear desire on this matter include CUD Chairman Hailu Shawel and about half of the CUD central council, the Chairman of the Coalition of Ethiopian Civic Associations, Dr Taye Woldesemayat, and all the civic associations in the coalition, a large majority of Ethiopians in the Diaspora, and most of the Ethiopian independent press journalists in Ethiopia.
Within the next few days, this matter will be settled one way or the other, but according to many observers it seems that the proponents of entering parliament have the upper hand currently, unless the opposition regroup and fight back vigorously in the next few hours and days. If the proponents of entering parliament win, it would be a betrayal of the people of Ethiopia whose desire of living in freedom and democracy will have been thwarted by the Meles regime with the collaboration of some opposition leaders in whom the people put their trust.
One may ask, what’s the alternative to entering parliament? Please read the following statement by the Network of Ethiopian Scholars as a reference:
