ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a case brought by the country's opposition against the ruling party's landslide victory in elections criticised by the European Union and the United States.
The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and allies provisionally won 545 seats in the 547-member parliament on May 23, giving Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, in power since 1991, another five years in charge.
The country's biggest opposition coalition, the eight-party Medrek, won just a single seat. Medrek and the smaller All Ethiopia Unity Party (AEUP) demanded a rerun, alleging pre-poll intimidation and some vote rigging.
The National Electoral Board (NEB), however, rejected the call, saying neither party had evidence. The Supreme Court on Friday backed the NEB and threw out a case the opposition had mounted, asking that the NEB ruling be overturned.
"The Supreme Court has simply endorsed the decision of the NEB and rejected our appeal against that decision," Medrek chairman Beyene Petros told Reuters.
