Ethiopia Opposition Candidate Dies After Attack in Northwest

June 16, 2015

Samuel Awoke (PHOTO: NegereEthiopia)

(Bloomberg) – An Ethiopian parliamentary candidate for the opposition Blue Party died after being assaulted in Debre Markos, a town in the country’s northwest, the group said.

Two people attacked Samuel Awoke, 29, with a club and knife as he returned home alone from a night out with friends, spokesman Yonatan Tesfaye said by phone Tuesday from the capital, Addis Ababa.

“We are trying to figure out who are the killers and the reasons,” he said, citing suspicions it was politically motivated. Ethiopian Communications Minister Redwan Hussien said in a text message that a suspect has been apprehended and the attack may have stemmed from a legal dispute.

Samuel reported previous death threats and a beating during campaigning for the polls that were held May 24, Yonatan said. The lawyer had been active in challenging election procedures and results in the Amhara region town, 295 kilometers (183 miles) northwest of the capital, he said.

All 442 of 547 federal seats announced so far were captured by the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front and allied parties.