"We did not have observers out for local elections. So it's very difficult to make a judgment about the claims of irregularities in these local elections," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
"However, there have been enough of these kinds of claims by opposition parties that it certainly does raise concerns about the elections," he said.
The electoral board said Sunday the ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) won nearly all seats in local polls and parliamentary by-elections that were marred by boycotts and accusations of repression.
It said the EPRDF won more than 3.5 million of the 3.6 million seats contested on April 13 and 20. The victory brought to 408 the number of seats the EPRDF and its allies hold in the 547-member assembly.
Republished with permission FOCUS News Agency
