national Republican Institute, the National Demo-
cratic Institute, and the International Foundation 
for Electoral Systems—that were promoting demo-
cratic development, ostensibly due to their failure to 
register for such activities. 
(5) Complaints about the conduct of the May 
15, 2005, elections were lodged by the main opposi-
tion coalition and the ruling party in 299 of Ethio-
pia’s 547 constituencies, but more than 90 percent 
of opposition party filings were thrown out by the 
Ethiopian agency investigating electoral complaints, 
while only 10 percent of ruling party complaints 
have been found to be unsubstantiated. 
(6) International election observers reported the 
turnout of millions of eligible voters in the May 15, 
2005, elections, further confirming the desire of the 
citizens of Ethiopia to express their political will 
through the ballot. 
(7) The Government of Ethiopia failed to meet 
its stated July 8, 2005, deadline for releasing full 
results of the May 15, 2005, elections and continues 
to refuse to release customary detailed results of bal-
loting, creating ongoing uncertainty and suspicion 
about the validity of the election.
(b) TRANSPARENCY OF ELECTION RESULTS.—Con-
gress urges the Government of Ethiopia to allow and fa-
cilitate a transparent review of the May 15, 2005, election 
results and to support a legal review of those results that 
are credibly shown to be questionable. 
(c) READMITTANCE OF UNITED STATES DEMOCRACY 
ORGANIZATIONS.—Congress urges the Government of 
Ethiopia to readmit the International Republican Insti-
tute, the National Democratic Institute, and the Inter-
national Foundation for Electoral Systems which were ex-
pelled prior to the May 15, 2005, elections and expedi-
tiously work out any legitimate issues involving their reg-
istration. 
(d) TRAINING OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND CIVIL SO-
CIETY ELECTION OBSERVERS.—In order to better ensure 
continued progress in the conduct of the electoral process 
in Ethiopia, the President, acting through the Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, shall revise the Agency’s country plan for Ethi-
opia to provide support for training political parties on 
organization building and message development and for 
training political parties and civil society groups in elec-
tion monitoring. 
(e) FACILITATION OF EQUITABLE ELECTORAL ENVI-
RONMENT.—As part of its support for democratization in
Ethiopia, the President, acting through the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, shall provide assistance to facilitate ongoing com-
munication between political parties and the Government 
of Ethiopia through the National Electoral Board in order 
to address issues involving delimitation of constituencies, 
voter registration, party registration, candidate registra-
tion, and related matters to ensure the credibility of the 
next election in Ethiopia. 
SEC. 5. SUPPORT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ETHI-
OPIA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) According to the World Bank Institute’s 
governance ratings for 2004, the rating of the Fed-
eral Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is measurably 
worse than its last rating in 2002 in government ef-
fectiveness, regulatory quality, and control of corrup-
tion, which examine a government’s capacity to for-
mulate and implement economic policies. 
(2) The 2005 Index of Economic Freedom 
ranks Ethiopia’s economy as mostly unfree, largely 
due to a cumbersome bureaucracy that deters invest-
ment, a judicial system that does not offer sufficient
protection of property rights, and a system of higher 
tariffs on imported products. 
(3) The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service 
reports in its 2005 country commercial guide for 
Ethiopia that Ethiopia’s continuing refusal to alter 
its policy of considering all land to be public prop-
erty that can only be leased and not owned prevents 
financing of ventures in which land would be collat-
eral for a loan and also makes investors vulnerable 
to smallholders claiming the right to use part of 
their land. 
(4) Members of the Ethiopian diaspora in the 
United States have accused the Government of Ethi-
opia of failing to live up to promises of repatriation 
of property confiscated by the Mengistu government, 
and in some cases, allowing others to profit from 
these seized properties. 
(5) According to Ethiopia’s poverty reduction 
strategy paper, its per capita income is among the 
lowest of even least developed countries, and poverty 
is widespread, affecting nearly half the country’s 
population in both urban and rural areas. 
(6) Lack of water is a major reason for the 
cause of famine, but the dire situation in Ethiopia’s 
agriculture sector is exacerbated by Ethiopian Gov-
ernment policies, including its refusal to allow pri-
vate ownership of land, excessive taxation of farm-
ers, and the high cost of fertilizer sold by companies 
affiliated with the Ethiopian Government. 
(b) ECONOMIC POLICY ASSISTANCE.—Utilizing train-
ing and other technical assistance programs offered by the 
Department of the Treasury, the Office of the United 
States Trade Representative, and the Department of Jus-
tice, the President shall assist the Government of Ethiopia 
in developing policies that will address key economic obsta-
cles, including such areas as budgeting, taxation, debt 
management, bank supervision, and anti-money laun-
dering, that inhibit private sector development and limit 
participation in donor programs such as the United States 
Millennium Challenge Account. 
(c) RESOURCE POLICY ASSISTANCE.—The President, 
acting through the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, shall provide as-
sistance for sustainable development of Ethiopia’s Nile 
and Awash River resources, including assistance to help 
Ethiopia with the technology necessary for the construc-
tion of dams, irrigation systems, and hydroelectric power 
that might prevent future famine. 
(d) FINANCING
FOR UNITED STATES–ETHIOPIAN 
COMMERCIAL VENTURES.—The President shall use all