The All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) accused the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) of violating the code of conduct, which the parties agreed to follow by arresting more of its members even as others were set free.

“Violations of the code of conduct are being committed by members of the EPRDF in Addis Abeba and the [other] regions,” said a statement released by the party on March 5, 2010.

The violations have been going on for the past two months, since the parties had agreed on the code of conduct, according to Yaicob Likke, external relations head for AEUP. His party resisted bringing to the public its complaints, because EPRDF negotiators said that it would take some time to train its members about the code.

Members numbering 181 who had been in jail since the 2005 elections were all released, but others have been replacing them over the past two months, the party claimed. Other members were suffering various types of harassment by the cadres and the police in many places, Yaicob alleged.

The complaints lodged by the AEUP were jointly investigated by representatives of the AEUP and the EPRDF, and the two sides put their signatures on the report. AEUP leaders were expecting a joint press statement with the EPRDF over the issue, which, according to Yaicob, was violated when the EPRDF called a press conference on its own on March 2, 2010, and reported the findings through Sekoture Getachew, External Relations Department head.

Most of the claims were found to be baseless, Sekoture said.  The allegations were in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regional states. The complaints from Oromia included Fiche, Debre Libanos and Debre Tsige in North Shewa; Goro Woreda in South Shewa; and Ginchi, Jelu and Chelia in West Shewa. There was also Simbu Sere in the East Welega Zone.

“The 12 complaints in Oromia were found to be groundless,” Sekoture said.

In SNNP, 18 complaints were filed in Dita, Dramalo, Kuncha, Dembagofa and Basketo woredas. Ten of these, according to Sekoture, were found to be groundless. Three of the remaining cases have been corrected, one case is being handled by the court, two cases are still under investigation by both parties, and there is a disagreement on the two other cases, he said.

The AEUP was invited to be part of the March 1, 2010, press conference but declined to come. However, AEUP said that the EPRDF called the conference without consulting them. It was not the EPRDF’s jurisdiction to call the press conference, Mamushet Amare, secretary general of the AEUP, said.

“The Council of Parties had to decide first,” he said.

By RODAS MESFIN
FORTUNE STAFF WRITER