Ethiopia: Federal parliamentary elections set for May 2005

Ethiopia will hold national elections for its federal parliament on 15 May 2005. Ten national and 57 regional parties will run in the polls, with results announced on 8 June 2005, officials from the National Election Board (NEB) said on September 25th. Ethiopia's Information Minister Bereket Simon said that the elections were likely to be fought on the issues of the economy and democratic reforms, adding that it would allow the electorate to vote on the government’s economic and development record.