Transition starts here

Disputed elections, the shooting of oppositionists and donor worries hasten political change

The ruling party is on the defensive. Its brutal response to opposition protests at election irregularities and the criticism which that has aroused, may mark its transformation. At May's elections, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) lost support markedly throughout the country and totally in the capital. Since then, some 76 civilians have died in disturbances, the last 40 of them on 1-2 November. The death-toll makes it seem that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government cannot regain its lost legitimacy, either with Ethiopians or with Western governments.

Article Tags:
Meles Zenawi, Everyone else's fault, Ana Gomes, Portuguese, Charles Clarke, Tony Blair, Eritrea, Issayas Afewerki, Bereket Simon, United States, Workneh Gebeyehu, Hailu Shawel, Lidetu Ayelew, Mohamed Hussein el Amoudi, Christopher Clapham, Zimbabwean, Iftin, Medhin, Medhin, Medhin, Medhin

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