Ethiopia has announced new election date twice twice | Election Issues
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The June 21 poll was seen as a test of democratic change under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Ethiopian Census Bureau has called for a two-day delayed election on June 21, and will begin a new recount of key tests for democratic change led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The second most populous country in Africa began voting last August, but officials forced them until June 5 this year due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Then last week the chairman of the Electoral Committee Birtukan Mideksa announced a new delay was needed due to other job-related issues such as training election officials and printing and distributing ballot papers.
The new date for June 21 was unveiled on Thursday at a press conference with Solyana Shimeles, after meeting with the Abiy government, opposition parties and district officials.
Solyana said he did not expect any further delays, with the coming rainy season starting in June and potentially disrupting construction.
“We are trying to do that [hold] before the rainy season, ”he said.
Staff shortages
Problems with the pledges promise to be dangerous even if delayed, and Solyana says on Thursday the council should enroll more than 100,000 people and train them on how to use voting days and produce results.
The shortage of staff was particularly noticeable so far in Afar and Somalia, where enrollment began late, he said.
Abiy came to power in 2018 after a few years of anti-government protests and vowed to abandon Ethiopian politics in some way by holding democratic elections that the country has never seen before.
His change led to his receiving the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, but his role has been hampered by security concerns, especially the six-month war north of Tigray, which will not take part in the June 21 election.
About 36 million Ethiopians registered to vote last weekend, although it was not registered in the polling stations ethnic violence, including the most populous regions in the country, Oromia and Amhara.
Areas of conflict
Solyana said it would be “difficult” to include areas that had experienced conflict on June 21.
But he said he hoped voters in those constituencies would be able to vote before the new parliament convenes in early October.
The election will elect members of parliament from all parts of the country and regions. The Cabinet appoints the Prime Minister, the Head of State, and the President – a key role in the ceremony.
The pre-Abiy alliance has highlighted two major previous elections, which observers have said are not in line with international justice.
The open competition in 2005 gained a great deal of interest from the protesters but led to a dangerous uprising at the protests over the contested results.
This year opposition parties, especially in the Abiy region of Oromia, have decided to go on strike, complaining that those who want to arrest them have been arrested and their offices demolished.
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