Coalition For Unity and Democracy - 2005 Ethiopian Elections

2005 Ethiopian Elections

The four parties that combined to form the CUD are: Ethiopian Democratic League, All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP), United Ethiopian Democratic Party-Medhin Party and Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice. At the legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party won 89 out of 527 seats in the House of People's Representatives, representing the Regions of Amhara, Oromia, and of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNPR), as well as in the chartered cities of Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa.

Engr. Hailu was placed under house arrest in early June 2005 after the government's investigation proved his involvement in the planning of the violent riots referred to by CUD members as "street protests" in which over 40 were killed.

In the elections for the Regional assemblies, the CUD won 137 of the 138 seats in the Addis Ababa administrative district, 106 of 294 in the Amhara Region, 11 of 89 in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, 1 of 82 in the Gambela Region, 3 of 36 in the Harari Region, 33 of 537 in Oromia, and 39 of 348 in the SNNPR. But the split inside CUD has caused big problems. One of the parties that split was the old UEDP-Medhin and this was a major problem for the AEUP because without UEDP-Medhin, CUD support in Addis Ababa would have been "no more than marginal."

After implying that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) committed election fraud, on 6 November the CUD leadership called for a week of riots and a boycott of businesses owned by members of the EPRDF, as well as boycotting the new parliament. In response, the TPLF/EPRDF stripped CUD legislators of their parliamentary immunity, and arrested a large number of CUD members.

As of October 2006, most of the leaders of the AEUP subparty remain imprisoned, awaiting the outcome of their trial that has spanned nearly a year starting from their arrest. Porous roofs, cramped conditions, extreme temperatures have all contributed to the numerous emergency room visits that the main leaders of the party have experienced. During this time the health of three of the major figures—Dr. Hailu, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, Dr.Berhanu Nega -- has suffered during their incarceration, and required visits to the Police hospital. There is an international effort in motion that is trying to create harmony between EPRDF and CUD, but it has not made any progress.

The spirit of CUD and the Kinijit movement is still in motion. Dr. Berhanu Nega has written a book, published by MM publishing, providing his account not only of the CUD's role in the election, but also of his imprisonment, as well as of his fellow detainees.