Posted on 09/16/2005 5:36:45 AM PDT by wagglebee
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Former U.S. president and international poll observer Jimmy Carter urged Ethiopia's opposition parties to take their seats in parliament as he gave qualified support for the country's disputed election.
The electoral board's final results from the May poll showed Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front and allies won enough seats in the 547-member parliament to form the next government.
But the main opposition parties, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces, have alleged widespread fraud and threatened not to take their seats when the new parliament convenes in a few weeks.
Disputes over the elections sparked street protests in July in which 36 people died when police opened fire on demonstrators.
"There have always been abnormalities in elections including in my own country, the United States. My hope is opposition party members would take their seats in parliament and ensure that voters' interests are represented," Carter told a news conference in Addis Ababa late on Thursday.
He also called for an investigation into the killing of the demonstrators.
Carter, whose organization sent some 50 observers to monitor voting, said the election was not perfect, but showed improvements compared with previous ones in 1995 and 2000.
"The Carter Center's assessment of the elections suggests that the majority of the constituency results...are credible and reflected competitive conditions," the group said in a statement.
The statement said, however, a "considerable number" of results "were problematic and lack credibility."
The opposition sharply increased its standing in the May 15 polls, widely regarded as Ethiopia's most democratic yet.
However Prime Minister Meles, feted by Western leaders in the past as part of a "new generation" of African leaders, has seen his democratic credentials called into question over the election wrangling and handling of the bloody protests.
I wonder if Carter would have endorsed Hitler's power grab.
Yeah, the election of 1976 comes to mind.
"Internation Poll Observer" - that just made me laugh. From President, to home builder, to poll clerk. How low he has fallen.
Dear Jimmuh' -
Things are okay here in N.O. Just a little overflow. Why don't you take an extra couple of weeks in Ethiopia in the meantime?
President Bush
From the headline, without reading the rest of the article, My guess is: the Commies won.
Jimmy Carter strikes again. The man has never met a leftwing dictatorship that didn't tickle his fancy. His sham "endorsements" of corrupt elections are a scandal.
BTW, many folks here do not know that the Carter Foundation (Jimmeh's front organization) actually gets paid for "verifying" these elections.
I was right! I was right! What do I win?
Didn't Jimmy endorse Venezuelas' "election" earlier this year???
Man was that coup! (pardon the pun)
Only if they had Billy Beer at the Burgerbraukeller the night of the Puscht.
"There have always been abnormalities in elections including in my own country, the United States.
Only in Dimocrat Districts. I can't recall any irregularities of any magnitude in any national election. Carter should come to Philly and watch the homeless impersonate the dead and those who moved from Philly in the past 8 years.
Mr. Malaise bumbles globally forward, endorsing one socialist satrapy at a time.
I meant no irregularities in Repub. districts.
I haven't read the article or studied the background, so I'll go out on a limb and say--if carter supports this guy's election, the guy must be very anti-American.
There are 547 members of the Ethiopian parliament?!? We have fewer members of Congress.
Did someone die and leave the peanut putz to decide wqhicxh elections were honest elsewhere?????
One more reason for loving Ronald Reagan is that he ended the four-year embarassment and futility that was the Cahtuh regime (1977-1981).
With the hemorrhoidal departure, we also were rid of Miz Lillian, daughter Amy the nuclear weapons advisor, the Iron Magnolia, Cousin Weird, the Spahn family jailbirds, pro-aborts posing as Southerners, "Ah have seen the pyramids," Brother Billy on Libya's payroll and "Billy Beer" (Ah'm sorry, suh, our lab tests indicate that yoah weasel is dead).
Why in the heck is anyone allowing Carter to keep doing this?
Just think about the bloodshed he is causing let alone allowing non-democratic left-wing dictators to take over.
How can he be stopped?
Carter...still a steaming pile of cow flop who's only contribution is emitting noxious gases.
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