Ethiopia's opposition accused Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling coalition of rigging the country's election on Sunday.

No major violence was reported in the sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country.

The European Union's observation mission chief Thijs Berman praised the election as "peaceful and calm" and the national election commission said it had no evidence of fraud but opposition leaders in several regions cried foul.

"It doesn't look like an election, even by African standards," said Merara Gudina, a top leader of the opposition coalition Medrek, whose figurehead Birtukan Mideksa, 36, is serving a life jail sentence.

Vote counting was to be finished on Sunday but provisional national results are only to be revealed on Tuesday and final results are not expected for another month, election commission vice chairman Adissu Guebre Egziaber said.

The last polls in 2005 saw the opposition record its best ever showing but led to violence that left 200 dead and triggered a government crackdown that left its main challengers jailed, exiled or greatly weakened.

With the country's most charismatic opposition figure in prison and what rights groups have criticised as shrinking political freedom during the campaign, Meles seems guaranteed to keep his job.

Merara cited several cases of suspected fraud in the southern opposition stronghold of Oromiya, particularly in the town of Ambo.

In Meles' hometown of Adwa, an former supporter of the premier who is now running for the opposition, complained of a litany of irregularities.

Aregash Adana said many voters were not allowed to cast their ballot in secrecy, that opposition campaign posters were torn down overnight and that party observers were barred from monitoring polling.

The European Union deployed some 160 observers and the African Union 60 for the polls during which 32 million registered voters were called to elect the 547-strong lower House of Representatives and regional councillors, who will elect the upper chamber of parliament.

Source: AFP