Counting begins after Ethiopia's general election

The counting of ballots is underway following Sunday's vote in Ethiopia's first parliamentary elections since a violently disputed poll five years ago.

Provisional results are expected to begin trickling in today.

Turn-out was said to have been relatively high although there were accusations of voter intimidation in several places and the opposition is already crying foul.

Observers have yet to give their final verdict on the election.

However one of the two foreign groups monitoring these polls is the European Union observer mission.

Its chief observer Thjis Berman gave his initial assessment of the day when polls closed at 6 pm local time.

Reports of irregularities

There have been some complaints from the opposition coalition, Medrek who say their agents were intimidated and prevented from accessing polling stations in the countryside.

The BBC's Uduak Amimo asked the National Election Board chairman, Professor Merga Berkana for his assessment of the election.