AbeshaUnited

Voting is underway in Ethiopia, in legislative elections that are set to be a stiff test of the country’s democracy.Menes Zelawi, the current prime minister, is expected to be returned as leader, after 19 years in power.But the opposition is already crying foul, with memories of the 2005 election that led to widespread bloodshed still fresh in the minds of many Ethiopians.

While the opposition parties are already making claims of unfairness, the public mood does not seem to be in any way as charged as it was in the disputed 2005 poll. Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons reports from Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian PM ‘expects to win’ poll

Vote counting is underway in Ethiopia following a national election that Meles Zenawi, the country’s long-standing prime minister, has said he expects to win.

Zenawi rejected opposition complaints of fraud in Sunday’s election, the country’s first ballot since a disputed poll in 2005 turned violent. He told the Reuters news agency that he expects to win the vote on the strength of his economic record.

But opposition leaders questioned the validity of the polls and said that their party observers were barred from polling stations in several parts of the country. They accused Zenawi of rigging his way to re-election.

However, Zenawi denied the accusations, and said residents were free to vote as they pleased.

Ref: Al jazeera