The Ethiopian National Election Board has made a significant announcement regarding the upcoming electoral process in four regions, scheduled for June 2024.
The board disclosed plans to conduct the 6th round of by-elections and repeat general elections in four regions across the country. These elections are deemed necessary in areas where previous elections could not be held due to security concerns and other factors. The regions identified for the upcoming electoral process include Benshangul Gumz, Afar, Somali, and Central Ethiopia.
In total, the board is overseeing elections in 29 constituencies spread across these four regions. The election program outlines the organization of elections for nine houses of representatives and twenty-six state houses.
According to the election schedule released by the board, the registration of candidates will commence from April 15 to April 24, 2024. Subsequently, the election campaign period is set to run from April 17 to June 8, 2024. Concurrently, voter registration is scheduled to take place from April 15 to April 29, 2024, with the voting day slated for May 29, 2024.
The announcement of election results will follow a structured timeline: preliminary results will be declared at the polling stations on June 13 and June 14, 2024. Provisional results will then be announced at the constituency level between June 16 and June 18, 2024, with the final and board-confirmed announcement of election results scheduled for June 23, 2024.
The board’s decision to conduct elections in these regions stems from previous electoral challenges. In the 2021 national election, certain constituencies in the Amhara region could not proceed due to security issues, while remaining constituencies in the region continue to face challenges, leading to the decision not to hold elections there. Similarly, elections in the Tigray region were disrupted by the ongoing conflict, and those conducted were deemed invalid by the board.
During the June 22, 2021 national election, the House of People’s Representatives secured 410 seats, with the Gedeo People’s Democratic Organization winning two seats in the southern region. The National Election Board reported that 39 million voters were registered across all constituencies, with a total expenditure of 847 million birr.
As Ethiopia gears up for these critical elections, the country braces for a pivotal moment in its democratic journey.
Five members of the opposition party who won this election and are serving as members of the House of Legislation at federal and regional council representatives are currently in prison without their immunity from prosecution, which was revoked last week.
