Addis Ababa---Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country, holds its first general election on Sunday since the death of strongman Meles Zenawi, whose successor Hailemariam Desalegn is all but certain to stay in office.
Over 36.8 million Ethiopians have registered for Sunday's polls, but analysts say the election falls far short of open competition. Western observers were not invited and the opposition alleges the government has used authoritarian tactics to ensure a poll victory.
One of the main opposition candidates, Yilekal Getinet, accuses the government of "closing" political space.
"Electoral defeat is not on the cards for Ethiopia's ruling party, but it is vital for the country's development that it engages more effectively with dissenting voices," said Jason Mosley, from Britain's Chatham House think tank.
Posters of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) dominate the capital Addis Ababa.
Polls open at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday and close at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT), with initial results expected within two to five days, and final official tallies on June 22.
The ruling EPRDF has been in power for over two decades and is confident of a win, but insists the result will be decided on its economic record alone. Ethiopia is now one of Africa's top performing economies and a magnet for foreign investment.
Rights groups -- which routinely accuse Ethiopia of clamping down on opposition supporters and journalists, and of using anti-terrorism laws to silence dissent and jail critics -- said Saturday the polls would not be free or fair due to a lack of freedom of speech.
"The government people came to go door to door asking to register as voters and to promote the EPRDF," said Tessama, a student in the Kazanches district, where luxury hotels and poor housing stand alongside each other. "For me, all I see is that prices increase."
Addis Ababa dismisses such criticism, with government spokesman Redwan Hussein telling AFP that voters would choose their representatives based on performance.
"If they want to give us another chance they will vote for us," he said. "If they have a grudge, they will not."
AFP
