Addis Fortune looks deeper to find some telling bits of information about the May 23, 2010, elections in Ethiopia:
An unassuming voter in Polling Station of One, of Ambo Town, Western Shewo Zone of the Oromia Regional State, marked his vote alongside the candidate by the name of Metiku Tesso (PhD), fielded by the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A president of Ambo University very much liked by residents of the town, Metiku ran against five other candidates fielded by parties such as Medrek, the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP), Oromo National Congress (ONC), and Oromo Liberation Unity Front (OLUF). The unassuming voter, one of the 807 residents who voted that day out of the 883 registered at that polling station, made a statement in the box alongside Woldeyes Mengesha, an MP for this constituency, who ran under the Medrek platform. Written in Amharic, this voter exercised his freedom of expression with the phrase “F . . . you!” However, he did not do much good for the candidate he or she wanted to support. This particular vote was disqualified, joining 84 other votes deemed invalid for various reasons. There was of course another similar exercise in the freedom of expression where a voter felt compelled to send a message, writing, “No one knows; God bless Ethiopia!” This too was cast in favor of the candidate from the incumbent. … click here to continue reading.