Sep 24 , 2022
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has submitted a budget request of over half a billion Birr to Parliament to organise a referendum scheduled to be held in the Southern Regional State. The House of Federation approved a resolution to grant the referendum during an extraordinary session last month. The residents of six zones, including Gedeo, Wolaita, and Konso, as well as five special weredas are set to go to the polls to decide on the creation of what could be the country's 13th regional state. It will be the second referendum held in the Southern Regional State since last year, when over one million people in six zones voted in favour of forming the Southwestern Regional State.