Reply #4: ETHIOPIA: Ballots Stolen and Sold in Local Markets. Election Boycotted. [View All]

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Stealing ballots, selling them, election fraud, election boycott. It’s everywhere!

ETHIOPIA: Opposition parties to boycott Somali region polls

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/c7fc7ac5aa820257b68ab66c4fc304c5.htm
16 Aug 2005 13:46:13 GMT
Source: IRIN

ADDIS ABABA, 16 August (IRIN) - Ethiopian opposition parties declared on Tuesday that they would boycott upcoming elections in 23 seats in the remote eastern Somali region, alleging that thousands of voter cards had been stolen and were on sale in local markets.

The region's three main parties also claimed the armed forces had taken control of some polling stations and impounded ballots and registration books ahead of national and regional elections scheduled to take place on Sunday.

"We have decided to boycott the elections because of the serious violations that are taking place," Joseph Nur, vice chairman of the Western Somali Democratic Party (WSDP), told a news conference in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Nur claimed that in one town, 10,000 voter cards had been stolen and were on sale in local markets for the equivalent of US $3.

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