Politics

National Electoral Board Announces Schedule for Delayed Elections

The Reporter (Amharic) · 6 days ago · Read the Full Story on The Reporter (Amharic)
National Electoral Board Announces Schedule for Delayed Elections
AI SUMMARY

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia announced it has prepared a schedule to conduct elections in areas where voting has not yet taken place.

  • The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia announced it has established a schedule to conduct delayed elections in areas where voting has not taken place.
  • During an advocacy forum organized by the Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations, stakeholders discussed election monitoring findings, civic space, and pre- and post-election challenges.
  • Regarding the Tigray region, the board stated it is prepared to immediately begin electoral preparations once conditions permit, following previous discussions with the interim administration.
  • The board previously announced preparations to hold elections in eight constituencies within the Amhara region and issued recruitment notices for electoral officials.
  • The Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations highlighted that voter education in internally displaced person camps was limited and that obtaining timely information on special polling stations posed challenges.
  • The Ethiopian Human Rights Council noted improvements such as digital voter registration, but pointed out constraints including deploying only 350 observers due to budget shortages and observing irregularities like unauthorized polling station locations.
  • The Freedom and Equality Party and the National Movement of Amhara criticized certain aspects of the electoral process, including result announcement methods and fragmented reporting that created verification difficulties for political parties.
  • Board member Teklit Yemesel defended the result announcement process, stating it complies with Proclamation No. 1162/2011, which permits results to be declared within ten to twenty days.