By Desta Gebre-Hiwot
Members of Parliaments (MPs) have lauded the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) for handling the 5th General Elections held May 24, 2015 cautiously and wisely despite the complex nature of the task.
The House of People's Representatives assessed the 11-month performance report of the Board here yesterday.
Presenting the report to the House, Board Chairperson Prof. Merga Bekana said that the training and awareness raising NEBE provided to stakeholders and the active participation of the public have made the elections peaceful and democratic.
According to Prof. Merga , the Board has carried out various activities in the reported period geared towards making the elections democratic and peaceful. Accordingly, the Board with the active participation of the public had been effective in making the election process free and fair.
The Chairperson said that the Board has sacrificed a lot for the sake of democracy tolerating the violation of laws committed by contesting parties. It has also shown patience despite the false accusation and defamation made by some irresponsible political parties and individuals, he added.
According to him,the Board accomplished successful works through organizing various awareness creation forums for civil societies, political party leaders and members, local observers, media professionals, Africa Union election observers as well as justice bodies.
Members of the Parliament also said that the Board has tried to look into and give immediate solutions to problems by taking into consideration the previous election experiences. Accordingly, gaps were easily identified and urgent measures taken for complaints lodged by political parties.
The MPs also urged the Board to take legal actions against political parties that do not stick to legal procedures during election time. They said that the Board through conducting performance and post election assessments should build its capacity and overcome possible encounters.
Meanwhile, the House passed a bill ratifying the credit facility agreement between Ethiopia and Agency Franchise Development. The Agency make available 50 million euro credit facility for financing the Addis Ababa City Bus Rapid Transit Project. Similarly, the House also passed a bill ratifying financial agreement between Ethiopia and Poland. According to the proclamation, the Polish government extends 50 million USD credit for financing projects in the modernization of the economy and the public sector as well as development of rural areas.
It also referred bill aimed at preventing human trafficking to the pertinent standing committee for further scrutiny.
Source: AllAfrica
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