Opposition parties urged to participate in elections

Armed opposition groups have been urged by the Ethiopian government to lay down their weapons and democratically contest the forthcoming national elections. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) said that political power only "comes only from the ballot box". In a statement issued by the information ministry on Saturday, the government said "creating a democratic government by the people and for the people" fosters development. "Universal practice has proved that a better living standard is attainable in countries where political power comes only from the ballot box and not from the barrel of a gun," it said. Several groups in the country have been linked to an armed struggle - the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and the All Ethiopian Socialist Movement (AESM). OLF rebels have fought for independence of the southern Oromo region since 1993, alleging government discrimination against the Oromo people, the largest ethnic group. However, the OLF has indicated in a recent statement released on its website that it is willing to enter dialogue, but was not yet ready to renounce its use of weapons. "The OLF has repeatedly made its position clear on the issue of negotiation and renunciation of violence," the statement released earlier this month said. "The OLF is ready to engage the EPRDF regime in dialogue without any precondition at the presence of third party." Beyene Petros, vice chair of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), a 14-strong rainbow coalition of opposition groups, said other armed groups have indicated their willingness to renounce an armed struggle. He said the EPRP and the AESM, both of which are members of the UEDF, had agreed to renounce the use of arms before joining the coalition group. The government’s call also comes after they met with opposition groups to pledge electoral reform to ensure free and fair elections at the polls, expected on 15 May next year. On Saturday, opposition groups and the EPRDF held a public debate on the primary education system in the country. Opposition groups criticised the "lack of quality" in the education system and said they would overhaul it if they came to power. The government said that an extra six million children had been through school since they came to power in 1991. "In spite of this attempt to deliberate on relevant issues and to minimize differences, democratic culture is at its nascent stage in our country," the ministry statement added. The EPRDF, which ousted Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991 after a 17-year-guerrilla war, won 479 seats in the 547-seat assembly during the last national election in 2000. The next Ethiopian general elections are only the third democratic ballot in the country’s history. All have been convincingly won by the EPRDF.