Ethiopian PM attacks EU monitor

Meles has been in power for the last 14 years

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has accused the chief European election monitor, Ana Gomes, of acting like "a self-appointed colonial viceroy".

Last week, an EU report said the 15 May parliamentary elections failed to meet international standards and complaints were not handled well.

But responding in an Ethiopian newspaper, Prime Minister Meles dismissed her report as a pack of lies.

He accused her of seeking to force his government from power.

Mr Meles said the EU official had endorsed opposition calls for the creation of a national unity government and new elections which were unacceptable to the ruling party.

"The good lady can apparently not take 'no' for an answer from the natives," he wrote.

Some 40 people were killed in election protests

"She apparently does not understand that as soon as these merely bad ideas become tainted by association with an election observer, turned self-appointed colonial viceroy hell-bent on twisting the arms of the government to force it to accept her dictates, merely discussing the ideas, let alone accepting them, becomes unthinkable," he wrote.

Election returns show Mr Meles's coalition retained its majority but opposition parties gained many seats. The final official results are not due to be announced until 23 September.

The two main opposition groups maintain they won and are threatening to boycott parliament unless a unity government is formed.

Several days of violence followed the parliamentary elections and around 40 people were killed when police fired on protesters.