Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-12-Speech-3-165"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051012.16.3-165"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, I was part of the European Parliament delegation which observed the polling day on 15 May. I spoke for the delegation at the press conference on 17 May, saying that the elections represented an important step forward in the democratisation process in Ethiopia. Therefore I feel great personal sadness and shock at the deterioration in the situation since then.
Regarding the election, we must keep faith with the facts observed by the European Union observation mission and the Carter Center, which are that the process leading up to the 15 May was well run, but that the process after 15 May had some irregularities.
It is now five months since the election. The whole point of a democratic election is to put in place a functioning democratic assembly. This has not happened, and I would beseech sides – the ruling party and the opposition – to continue the dialogue to resolve their differences. Unless the end result is a functioning Parliament in which politicians of all persuasions are active, then the election process has ultimately failed. Surely that would be a betrayal of the 90% of Ethiopian electors who cast a vote on 15 May, often after queuing for many hours. They had faith in the electoral process. I hope the leaders they elected will keep to that faith.
Clearly the Government has a responsibility to respect the fundamental principles of the constitution and ensure fundamental freedoms and human rights. The Ethiopian Government must guarantee that opposition party members are not intimidated or detained without trial. The Government also needs to reopen access for opposition parties to the media.
In the run-up to 15 May, parties all had good access, but this is no longer the case. The fact that opposition leaders who have stated their commitment to working within a constitutional framework cannot easily communicate through the media to their own supporters is particularly dangerous at a time when everybody needs to stay calm.
There are no winners in the current impasse. If the political process breaks down, then it is not just the opposition parties in Ethiopia who will be the losers. Ethiopia as a nation will be the loser, because it will go overnight from being a leading light in Africa, a beacon for hope and progress whose President chaired the Commission for Africa, to becoming a failed state.
I do not think Ethiopia deserves to become the latest African basket case. So I would plead with all parties to persevere with the negotiation process."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples