Ethiopia postpones voting in only constituency held by independent

Addis Ababa (AFP) - Voting in the only constituency in Ethiopia with an independent member of parliament was postponed Friday, two days before the general election, the government spokesman said.

Ashebr Woldegiorgis, the only independent MP elected in 2010, had been due to run for a second term against a candidate from the ruling coalition party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

"The Election Commission decided to postpone the election," government spokesman Redwan Hussein told AFP.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country, will on Sunday hold its first general election since the death of long-time strongman Meles Zenawi whose successor Hailemariam Desalegn is seen as all but certain to stay in office.

"The independent candidate filed a complaint for not having had enough time and space for campaigning," Redwan said. "The electoral commission decided to postpone this election to do their investigation."

Ashebr, the outgoing MP for the southwestern Bonga district, was not immediately reachable for comment.

The EPRDF won 545 of the 547 seats in parliament during the last elections in 2010.

The only opposition MP elected in 2010, Girma Seifu, from the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party, decided not to stand in Sunday's polls.

Over 36.8 million Ethiopians have registered to vote in what is seen by the international community as a key test of the state's commitment to bring greater democracy to the Horn of Africa nation.

Rights groups routinely accuse Ethiopia of clamping down on opposition supporters and journalists and using anti-terrorism laws to silence dissent and jail critics.