The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has realized its dream to win another five-year term, despite the opposition's allegations of election fraud.

Kemal Bedri, chairman of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, told a press conference on Tuesday that the ruling party has garnered 296 seats, down from 481 in the last lower house of federal parliament, but well above the absolute majority of 274.

The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Front, the country's two main opposition groups, were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively.

The election was the second real multiparty poll in Africa's top coffee producer, the second most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa with 72 million people.

But the main opposition CUD said it would not accept the result and said the electoral board was biased toward the ruling party.

"Given the way the national board has been operating, it is not surprising that these are the results," CUD's Berhanu Nega said. "We will not accept it. We will challenge it in court."

Allegations of fraud during the poll in the Horn of Africa nation has sparked protests and a military clampdown that left dozens dead in June and thousands under arrest.

However, Girma Tadesse, political professor of the prestigious Addis Ababa University, said the ruling EPRDF, is not surprising to win such a resounding majority as it is still the country's largest party and has a large number of party members and supporters at the grass-roots level.

Analysts say that the opposition party, which is better represented in parliament than previously, remained fragmented in organization, ideology and also at a operational level.

It is estimated that EPRDF party owns at least 1 million party members across the country.

The EPRDF is itself an alliance of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Oromo People's Democratic Organization, the South Ethiopia People's Democratic Front and Amhara National Democratic Movement.

"As compared with the ruling EPRDF, the CUD, EPRDF's main rival, is thought to be a regional party, which is only based in the capital Addis Ababa," said Girma.
 
The CUD secured almost all the 23 seats of Addis Ababa with the ruling party getting nothing in the capital.

With 85 percent of Ethiopia's population living in rural communities, it is in the countryside where the elections have been decided, many analysts say. The ruling party has long kept its traditional power base in those communities.

Meanwhile, the EPRDF party, was not restrained by the lack of funds and resources, said Abdi Hailu, a local freelancer, adding that the ruling party had campaigned at all corners of the country.

However, the small, fragmented and poorly financed opposition party, had campaigned only in Addis Ababa, he said.

He added the opposition experienced growing internal rifts and it is unable to reach the remote parts of the country.

"The ruling party has benefited from the divided nature of the opposition," he said.

Ethiopians went to poll on May 15 in the country's two separate elections to elect representatives to the House of People's Representatives and eight regional councils. Elections in southeastern Somali state will take place on Aug. 21.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2005)