by Liu Li, Xiong Sihao

    ADDIS ABABA, May 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Millions of Ethiopian eligible voters went to the polls on Sunday, responding enthusiastically to the country's legislative election, which is seen as the second real multiparty elections in the Horn of Africa nation and a test of its progress toward democracy.

    "The Ethiopians have shown eagerness and they are keen on voting," said the official with the national electoral board Getahun Amogne, "and we are extending the voting time."

    "The election is scheduled to close at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT), but voters, especially in Addis Ababa, lining up in long queues waiting to vote," Getahun said, stressing that they will give extra time for the voters and that no electors coming will be denied their rights to vote.

    He said the board expect turnout for this national election higher than the previous elections held in 2000, which met the boycott from the opposition and was handily won by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front party. International observers monitoring Ethiopia's hotly contested general elections Sunday said long lines due to huge voter turnout appeared to be the only significant initial problem with the poll. Former US president Jimmy Carter, leading his 50-memberobservation team, also told reporters earlier at Addis Ababa University that they have not seen any problem of vote, and they only found long lines, people waiting patiently and peacefully. Getahun told Xinhua late Sunday that the electoral process has been so far going on smoothly, and no riot or violence have been reported from across the country, where, he said, people cast their ballots in decent manner.

    A total of 36 political parties will vie for seats in Ethiopia's547-seat lower house of parliament, the Council of People's Representatives. The prime minister will come from the party snatching most seats.

    Meanwhile, voters will also elect representatives in nine regional state parliaments that will appoint members of the 112-seat Council of the Federation, the parliament's upper house. Some 26 million of Ethiopia's 74 million people have registered to vote in the election in Africa's third most populous country, whose current parliament representatives come mostly from the ruling party and its leader has been in power for 14 years. "I arrived here before five this morning, and still I am not the first line," said Mahider Fisseha, a skinny young man, who was about the 30th person in line when the poll opened at 6 a.m. (0300GMT) at a primary school in Addis Ababa's Wereda (district) 15.Mahider's story was typical. In Addis Ababa's densely populated shantytowns, voters also began arriving at 4 a.m. (0100 GMT),despite the fact that the polling stations would not open until two hours later. They said they did so voluntarily without any inducement.

    "CUD (Coalition for Unity and Democracy) did not provide us money, T-shirts or provide us transport, but we came out in full force to vote for CUD because of its policies and because we believe it is the only party that is capable to bring about a speedy economic development," said Mahider, a supporter for the opposition party.

    "I am desperate to vote. That is why I am standing here. I am desperate to change," said Aregu Tesema, a small businessman patiently standing in a long queue.

    Set up in late 2004, the opposition coalition that groups five parties will challenge Prime Minister Meles' 14 years in power. Meles told reporters earlier after casting ballot at his hometown Adwa, 1,000 km north of Addis Ababa, that his government would accept defeat if international observers said the opposition had won.

    ''I was very proud and fought to make sure the Ethiopian people have the right to make their own decisions. I am now exercising it as an Ethiopian and I'm very proud of this achievement,'' said Meles.

    Meles told journalists that people should await the reports of foreign observers, monitoring the elections for the first time in Ethiopia's history, before making any conclusions on allegations of electoral abuses.

    Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's EPRDF is widely expected to win a third five-year term in the east African country, but observers say the ruling party's parliamentary majority may dwindle under challenges from opposition candidates.

    Ethiopia's two main opposition groups renewed threats to reject the results of Sunday's election, insisting widespread fraud and intimidation was rampant despite doubts from international observers.

    The leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) said none of their concerns about mass arrests of their activists and alleged vote rigging had been addressed.

    On the eve of the election, the UEDF and CUD accused the government of detaining hundreds of their poll monitors in recent days.

    They said the arrests were part of a campaign of harassment and intimidation by the ruling party and threatened to reject the election results unless the observers were released and allowed to do their jobs.

    The government dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. EPRDF's campaign spokesman Bereket Simon said all the opposition allegations investigated by the election board were proved to be false and unfounded, and it is an attempt by the opposition to discredit the whole process.

    According to the electoral board, the results of each constituency will come out one by one from May 18 to 21, after adding all the polling stations results which are expected to be revealed gradually starting from Monday.

    The constituencies results will be only provisional, because it's at the constituent level, and final official outcome will be announced on June 8 at national level by the electoral board chairman. Enditem