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Parliament passed the bill on the electoral code of
conduct to the Legal and Administrative Affairs
Standing Committee for further scrutiny on Thursday,
December 3, 2009, notwithstanding opposition from
parties who did not partake in the negotiations.
The bill was a result of the two-month negotiation
among 65 parties, including the ruling Ethiopian
People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF),
that ended with an agreement signed on October 30,
2009.
Hailemariam Desalegn,
government chief whip, said that the document was
presented to Parliament after the agreement of the
involved parties for further debate prior to its
ratification and implementation.
During the debate the bill had to face strong
challenges from opposition members of parliament who
were not included in previous discussions and
agreements that led to the arrangement of the
current bill.
Gebru Gebremariam,
parliamentary representative (whip) of the United
Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), expressed his
concerns saying that the process in which the bill
was produced violated the authority of the
constitutionally established board of national
elections. He said that with the existence of such
an institution, no one else could initiate such a
bill.
Merera Gudina (PhD),
also from the UEDF, said that the bill shuns the
independence of the election officials and
undermines the deployment of election observers.
Overlooking those critical issues, the bill which
may not be controversial in and of itself, would not
contribute anything to the conduct of free, fair and
democratic elections in Ethiopia, he said.
“It is as good as useless,” he added.
However, MPs of the signing parties, including
Lidetu Ayalew of the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP),
Legesse Biratu of the Coalition for Unity and
Democracy (CUD) and Hailemariam Desalegn of the
ruling EPRDF played down the opposition’s claim
saying that parties, whether elected or not, have
the right to initiate election rules as long as they
adhere to the law of the land - Article 51 of the
Constitution.
“According to international experiences, election
codes of conduct can be initiated voluntarily by
contesting parties or electoral institutions after
negotiations,” said Hailemariam.
He also defended the authenticity of the process
made to produce the bill saying that it was based on
international standards and experiences and prepared
with the assistance of the Swedish-based Institute
for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
The signing MPs, including Lidetu, appealed to
Parliament to swiftly pass the bill to the concerned
committee.
The bill was finally passed to the Legal and
Administrative Affairs Standing Committee with 288
votes in favour, 49 against and two abstentions.
The bill has seven parts and 39 articles that state
rights, duties and responsibilities of political
parties, leaders of political parties, candidates,
representatives and party members.
According to the bill there will be a joint council
of political parties to serve as a forum for
dialogue, consultation and control of matters that
may arise in relation to election processes and
results. |
