The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces ( Amharic : የኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲዊ ኃይሎቸ ሕብረት ) was a coalition of several political parties in Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian general elections held on 15 May 2005.
14-923: The main constituent parties were the Oromo National Congress , Ethiopian Social Democratic Federal Party , Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition , All-Amhara People's Organization and the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Party . Other parties that joined to create the UEDF include: Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front ), All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (MEISON), Ethiopian Democratic Union - Tehadiso, Ethiopian National United Front, Ethiopian People Federal Democratic Unity Party (HIBREHIZB), Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party , Gambela People's United Democratic Front , Oromo People's Liberation Organization (OPLO - IBSO), and Tigrean Alliance for Democracy . In July 2008,
28-457: A refusal to participate in the CPR until several demands were met. However, at the last moment, party chairman Dr. Merera Gudina and vice-chair Beyene Petros both announced the UEDF would participate, after which a vote of the party's central committee on 24 October 2005 expelled both of them. The current acting party leaders are vice chairman Girma Shumie and Secretary-General Dereje Kebede , and
42-832: The Oromia and 12 from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). In the August 2005 Regional assembly elections, the party won 105 out of 537 seats in the assembly of the Oromia Region, 1 of the 36 seats in the Harari Region , and 37 of the 348 seats in the assembly of the SNNPR. In October the UEDF briefly supported the other major opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy , in
56-532: The kebele and woreda assemblies on 13 and 20 April 2008. By-elections were also held for seats in the Addis Ababa City Council, and in the national and regional parliaments that were vacant due to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy 's (CUD) refusal to participate at the same time. By law, the local elections were supposed to be held as part of the 2005 general elections , but due to the resulting unrest they were postponed. This election
70-537: The 39 parliamentary by-elections. In local elections, the EPRDF won more than 3.5 million of the 3.6 million open seats. The National Elections Board of Ethiopia reported the turnout was 93% of eligible voters. Although this was the first election in Ethiopia since the tumultuous 2005 general election, several opposition parties sat out the election. Bulcha Demeksa, said his party had only been able to put forward 2% of
84-886: The Oromo National Congress the party was part of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces , that won 52 out of 527 seats in the Council of People's Representatives ; the party won 42 seats in the Federal Parliament and 135 seats in the Oromia regional parliament in its own name. The OPC merged with the OFDM, forming the Oromo Federalist Congress , in 2012. Ethiopian by-elections, 2008 Ethiopia held nationwide elections for local offices in
98-779: The UEDF joined the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement , the Somali Democratic Alliance Forces , and the Union of Tigrians for Democracy and Sovereignty (also known as Arena) to found the Ethiopian Democratic Unity Front or simply Medrek , a new coalition of opposition parties and activists. In the 2005 parliamentary elections held on 15 May 2005, the UEDF gained 52 seats in the Council of People's Representatives (CFR), consisting of 40 from
112-571: The aftermath of the 2005 election, he calmly told them to pack up and go home if they were not interested in supporting the development of the country. "After a few weeks," notes Aalen and Tronvoll, "all donor countries caved in and resumed full development assistance to the country." The ruling party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), regained control of the Addis Ababa city council, and won all but one of
126-534: The international community was a significant player in the 2005 elections, in this election they were on the sidelines. In a letter sent to a group of nations providing foreign aid to Ethiopia , of 26 December 2007, three party leaders -- Beyene Petros ( United Ethiopian Democratic Forces ), Temesken Zewdie (CUD), and Bulcha Demeksa ( Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement ) -- desperately pleaded for their intervention: "We are drawing your attention to this critical matter of election observing because we are afraid that
140-643: The manner in which the NEB is currently running the process leading up to the elections is predictably a way to a non-consensual election outcome." Possible pressure by donor countries on the Ethiopian government was neutralized by the desire to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals , a fact which the government knows well. When a group of donor countries tried to play hard-ball with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and suspended money payments in
154-521: The party Whip is Geberu Mariam Uturu , who represents a district in the West Shewa Zone of Oromia. Accusing the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front of using intimidation to force 14,000 of its candidates for local seats in the 15 May 2008 by-elections , three days before that election Beyenne Petros announced that the UEDF would boycott the election. Oromo National Congress The Oromo People's Congress (OPC)
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#1732772033087168-505: The party was forced to change its name to Oromo People's Congress prior to the 2008 by-elections . OPC merged with Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), forming the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), in 2012. Until the 2005 Ethiopian general elections the OPC had not attempted to build a permanent base of support outside its leader’s home region in Ambo woreda . In that election, as
182-652: Was a federalist and Oromo nationalist opposition political party in Ethiopia . It was founded in April 1996 as the Oromo National Congress by Merera Gudina , who was its chairman. However, the party licence and name were allegedly given to a marginal splinter group by the National Election Board of Ethiopia in order to undermine the party and create confusion among the voters after the May 2005 election, so
196-453: Was important for the victors would control the local government structures, the kebeles and woredas, which are the key institutions for controlling local communities and are the main service providers. "For members of the local councils," writes Aalen and Tronvoll, "re-election is a matter of keeping their daily bread; and for new candidates, membership in one of the councils is viewed as a way of getting access to scarce state resources." While
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