Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
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The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር?) is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia.
It is an alliance of four other groups, including the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization, the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front and the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front. Together they had 472 of the 527 seats in the House of People's Representatives following the election held in May 2000. The results of the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005 have not been accepted by all contesting parties. The disagreements led to a prolonged crisis and public unrest which led to the death of 193 Ethiopians which included civilians and police officers. The ruling front claimed to have won 327 of the 527 seats. The opposition, which claims widespread fraud and intimidation, claims that the two major opposition coalitions together would form a majority. Though the opposition party (CUD) did win Ethiopia's populous capital, Addis Ababa by a landslide they did not have the stronghold which the E.P.R.D.F. has in rural Ethiopia.
The opposition in Ethiopia is divided but still exists, and is increasingly acting in concert. The EPRDF's two main opponents in the 2005 elections were the Coalition for Unity and Democracy and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces, both of which are also coalitions of multiple opposition parties. The opposition made spectacular gains in the election which appeared to have caught all observers, including the contestants themselves, off guard. Early results from the polls showed that the opposition on course to sweep to power with a substantial majority. However, the National Election Board which the Prime Minister appoints, stopped the vote tabulation process for several days leading to a break in the chain of control of ballot boxes. When the counting finally resumed and the ruling coalition declared itself the winner, the opposition cried foul and contested the results.
Before it became the government in 1991, it was a rebel group, battling the military junta known as the Derg. The original aim of Tigrayan independence was abandoned by the TPLF when it formed the EPRDF in order to depose the Derg regime it had fought since 1974. It also moved from a Marxist approach to a social democratic one.
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