Ethiopia's House of People's Representatives on Monday ruled that recent riots in the capital Addis Ababa and some other cities in the country should be looked into by an independent inquiry commission.

The lower house of parliament settled on the establishment of an independent inquiry commission with majority vote after thorough discussions on a report presented to it by federal police commissioner Workineh Gebeyehu.

The police report said the recent riots were "well-organized" by the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).

The ruling came during the parliament's first extraordinary session with 334 votes for, one vote against and 72 abstentions.

According to the ruling, the commission to be established will look into the cause of the riots as well as into whether the measures taken by security forces were excessive.

The commission will also take up the task of determining the casualties and property damage incurred, said the ruling.

During the street violence two weeks ago, in which police clashed with CUD supporters, at least 46 people died. Between Friday and Saturday police released 4,138 people, but many were still in custody.

The violence began Nov. 1 amid protests over a disputed May 15 parliamentary elections.

CUD has been boycotting the lower House of People's Representatives (HPR), saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the parliamentary elections.

The final election results indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF), which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547-seat HPR, enough to form the federal government.

CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively.

The two opposition parties accuse the ruling party of massive electoral fraud.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2005)