ADDIS ABABA, May 25 (Reuters) - A European Union observer mission said on Tuesday that an election won by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had been marred by reports of violence and intimidation but this did not mean the outcome was not valid.
"The European Union observation mission considers that the playing field for the 2010 election was not sufficiently balanced, leaning in favour of the ruling party in many areas," chief observer Thijs Berman told a news conference.
"There were reports of harassment and intimidation, including cases of violence voiced both by the opposition and to a lesser extent by the ruling party. The sheer volume and consistency of these complaints is a matter of concern that has to be taken into consideration," he added.
He said that shortcomings in the pre-election process likely had an impact but they did not mean the outcome was not valid.
"(The shortcomings) lead us to the conclusion that this election process falls short of some international standards and commitments," Berman said.
"That means that the outcome is in a certain way probably affected. But that does not mean that this outcome when you count is not valid in itself," Berman said.
The use of state resources to help the ruling party campaign was against the code of conduct, the EU said.
"I think the government could have done more to counter the imbalance and create a better level playing field," Berman said. "Everyone was equal but some were more equal than others."
