Opposition chief had been widely expected to win

* Incumbent manages only third of vote

* Supreme Court has to endorse results

By Hussein Ali Noor

HARGEISA (Somalilandpress) — Opposition leader Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo has won presidential elections in the breakaway Somali enclave of Somaliland, as had been widely expected, electoral authorities said on Thursday. More on Somaliland opposition head wins presidential poll

Opposition candidate Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo has been declared the winner of Somaliland’s election.Outgoing President Dahir Riyale Kahin had promised to accept defeat. More on Somaliland opposition candidate Silanyo wins election

There is an old morality tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes about a king who is so self-absorbed, vainglorious and obsessed with his appearance that he hired two suit makers and gave them vast amounts of money to sew him the finest silk robes. More on Ethiopia Rigged Elections, Ethiopia Election Observers, Ethiopia Elections European Union Observers, European Union Elections, Ethiopia African Union Elections, Emperor’s New Clothes,

When you think things look bad and hope is fading something happens to boost the morale and compels you to get up and give it another spin. When the little tyrant is making fun of democracy and elections and freedom lovers everywhere despair there comes a ray of hope from around the corner and floods our heart with optimism and ‘yes we can’ mind set. More on Ethiopian ESAT is a game changer

Note: Except for elements inserted in the nature of narrative license, syntax and independently established facts, this “interview” is based on English or Amharic translations of public statements, hearing testimony, speeches and other declarations[] of Birtukan Midekssa, the first woman political party leader in Ethiopian history and that country’s most famous political prisoner. More on Ethiopia: “Interview” With Birtukan Midekssa

It is election season in California. Two positions are open. The governorship and Federal Senate positions are up for grabs. Both parties, that is the Democrats and Republicans are going thru the primary process to nominate their strongest candidates for the November elections. November is Six months away but the contest is becoming hot. More on Ethiopian and Californian elections – similarities & differences

Encore performance!

It is the same two act play (farce) of May 2005. The stage is the same. The director is the same. The stagehands are the same. The script is the same. The players are the same stage veterans. The stagecraft (lighting, makeup, props) is the same. The audience is the same. Act I, last scene, “End Game”. (Kick the propaganda machine in overdrive and pump up the media volume! Ethiopian opposition leaders, enter stage right.) More on Ethiopia: The Fire Next Time

Ethiopia has the lowest overall teledensity in Africa. The population is approaching 90 million, but there are less than 1 million fixed lines in service, and a little more than 3.3 million mobile subscribers. The number of internet users is dismal below 500,000 at the end of 2009. Communications service provision is reserved for the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), one of the few monopoly providers left on the African continent.http://mspalliance.tmcnet.com/news/2010/04/26/4749199.htm

“Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets,” fretted Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, as he summed up the informative powers of an independent press. All dictators and tyrants in history have feared the enlightening powers of the independent press because, as Napoleon explained, “A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns and a tutor of nations.” More on Ethiopia: Information Without Interference