Millions of Ethiopians voted in their first multi-party elections yesterday, amid famine and the dramatic deterioration of a fierce border war with Eritrea.
The war was not a major issue during the campaign, but three days into a huge Ethiopian air and ground offensive it was debated as people went to the polls.
Most supported the war, but others said it was destroying the economy and increasing the threat of famine facing eight million pastoralists and farmers in drought-hit areas.
"I don't believe there should be war. When there is war, there is no development," Ms Mintewabn Teffera (27) said after casting her vote in Addis Ababa. "We don't want to see Ethiopia portrayed as an image of drought and famine."
The government claimed late on Saturday that its troops, backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets, destroyed eight Eritrean army divisions of around 60,000 soldiers and captured 15 strategic positions near the disputed Badme region.
Eritrea responded yesterday by saying it had killed or wounded 25,000 Ethiopian troops in the first two days of fighting, a claim dismissed by Ethiopian officials as "ridiculous".
Both sides have routinely exaggerated victories and played down or ignored losses in the war which started in May 1998. News of their army's latest actions delighted many Ethiopians.
"It was high time we kicked out the Eritreans from our territory," said Neway Hailu (70), a retired teacher and supporter of the opposition All Amhara People's Organisation.
In Dale Denbel, in the farming heartland of Oromo, peasants old and young were sure the army would finish the war. "We will never surrender a piece of our land," an old man said. "If the army calls me, I will gladly go to the front to fight."
Government officials said the offensive's timing had nothing to do with the elections, but privately some officials admitted it would do their cause no harm.
Lines of voters had formed before polling stations opened at 6 a.m., well wrapped up against the early-morning chill. As the day warmed up, members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church attended services and then made their way to vote.
Around 20 million Ethiopians registered to vote in elections for the 548-seat lower house of parliament and eight of the country's nine ethnically-based regional councils, as well as administrations in Addis Ababa and the second city, Dire Dawa.
For the many illiterate voters, candidates were represented on ballot papers by emblems including a bee, a candle, a pickaxe, a flower, a tractor and a spear and shield.
The elections are seen as a key test of Ethiopia's transition to peaceful democracy after centuries of feudalism and 17 years of Marxist dictatorship. The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was seen as certain to win a clear majority in parliament.
The elections allowed opposition parties to present their policies for the first time but they questioned the democratic credentials of the EPRDF, the ruling coalition.
They claimed EPRDF activists had intimidated voters and opposition supporters and were planning to use illegal tactics in areas where a close vote was expected.
A senior Ethiopian opposition leader said security forces had killed seven people protesting outside polling stations at alleged vote-rigging during the elections. Mr Beyene Petros, chairman of the Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition (SEPDC), said five people had been killed when police threw a grenade at a crowd outside a polling station in southern Ethiopia, and two women had been shot dead at another.
A National Electoral Board official said the incidents were being investigated but no deaths had yet been confirmed.