Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I am very disturbed by the implications of the Minister of State's reply. In regard to the 2005 elections, the announcement from Addis Ababa by the head of the EU observer mission on the basis of a partial count had consequences which can only be described as disastrous.

After the 2005 elections, the announcement from Addis Ababa by the EU observer mission on the basis of a partial count had consequences that could only be described as disastrous. It is now accepted within the European Union that the mission represented a singular failure in election observation. The problem about the disparity in party support between the capital and rural areas was such that the announcement of partial results was interpreted as national.

This is a very sensitive issue. As the Carter Institute has not sent election observers to Ethiopia even though it has a fine record in this area, it is important that partial statements are not made.

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