ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- The First Instance Bench of Ethiopia's Federal High Court passed a verdict on Monday on the charges of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) against the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).

    After scrutinizing the charge, the court ordered the NEBE to give copies of decisions of complaints hearing bodies, minutes, audiocassettes and other relevant documents to the CUD.

    The court also ordered the defendant, the NEBE, to give copies of the decisions it passed to approve decisions of complaint hearing bodies.

    In its decision, the court ordered the NEBE to pay the expenses the plaintiff has incurred in filing charges and hiring lawyers.

    The court said the CUD had submitted evidences that substantiate its charges.

    It said the NEBE had also presented its supporting documents tothe court. However, the court added, the evidences presented by the NEBE could not nullify charges of the CUD.

    On August 9, NEBE announced the ruling party has won 296 parliamentary seats, which would enable it form the federal government.

    CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Front, were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively. They held 12 seats in the last lower house offederal parliament.

    Ethiopians went to poll on May 15 in the country's two separate elections to elect representatives to the House of People's Representatives and eight regional councils.

    Elections in southeastern Somali state took place on Sunday.

    Ethiopia has a two-house parliament: the 110-seat upper Houseof the Federation and the 547-seat lower House of People's Representatives. Enditem