Somali region polls marred by abuses - human rights group

Local council elections held in Ethiopia's eastern Somali region early this year were marred by widespread abuses and voter intimidation, the country's human rights council said on Tuesday. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) accused members of the ruling party of harassing voters and police of arresting opposition members in the run up to the polls. One of EHRCO's observers was threatened with death while others had to flee for their safety from some polling stations, the organisation said in its latest report. It added that some children voted while other people cast their ballots more than once. "In view of all the defects and malpractices observed prior and on the election day, it is hard to say the election was free and fair," EHRCO said. But the National Election Board (NEB), which organises elections in Ethiopia, dismissed the criticisms and said the report was "not representative" of the overall election outcome. "This human rights organisation had observers in four of the 1,700 polling stations," Mekonnen Wondimu, a spokesman for the NEB told IRIN. "It is not representative." Some 4,094 candidates took part in the region-wide elections that were held on 25 January. More than 85 percent of them were members of the incumbent Somali People's Democratic Party (SPDP), an affiliate of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The SPDP was swept back into power. Local elections in Ethiopia, according to the EHRCO, have become increasingly important as the government decentralises power from federal authorities. The eight-page report was released as Ethiopia gears up for national elections next year that will test the growth of its democracy.