Foreign media and observers to be banned from Ethiopia’s future elections
(reprint)

ETP -- A bill introduced by the ruling party EPRDF aims to bar foreign observers and foreign media from the country’s elections unless and otherwise specifically invited by the government.

The bill also makes it illegal for domestic journalists to state their opinions regarding Election Day outcomes until an official result has been made available.

Under this bill, all types of Election Projections are strictly prohibited and perpetrators could be fined, or spend up to a year in Jail. The bill is almost certainly guaranteed to be law since EPRDF sponsored bills in Ethiopia’s parliament have never failed to pass in the past.

After this bill passes, it will be final and not subject to either administrative or judicial review.

Most see this bill as a disturbing continuation of the government’s trend in taking Ethiopia towards total one-party despotism.