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Ethiopians to Vote Under the Shadow of a Foregone Outcome

With observers constrained, voting suspended in troubled areas and the ruling par-ty dominant, the contest tests whether the polls can still command polling unit

The international presence at Monday’s polls marks a historic low. The European Union, whose monitoring missions historically shaped global perspectives on Ethiopian politics, has deployed no observers. The current footprint is strictly limited to regional bodies, including the African Union, which has sent a short-term delegation, and IGAD, which has deployed 26 regional experts. NEBE officials have downplayed the absence of Western missions, publicly stating that the quality, independence, and meaning of observation findings outweigh dependence on raw numbers alone, report NAHOM AYELE & YEABSIRA TAYE FORTUNE STAFF WRITERS.

May 31 , 2026
By NAHOM AYELE ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

Uhuru Kenyatta, former Kenyan President; Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe (PhD), former Ugandan Vice President; Abera Hailemariam, Director General, CECOE; Kassahun Folo, President, CETU

Ethiopians to Vote Under the Shadow of a Foregone Outcome

With observers constrained, voting suspended in troubled areas and the ruling par-ty dominant, the contest tests whether the polls can still command polling unit

Kassahun Follo's plan to keep an eye on the national polls set for Monday, June 1, 2026, ended before the vote began. ...

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Ethiopians to Vote Under the Shadow of a Foregone Outcome

With observers constrained, voting suspended in troubled areas and the ruling par-ty dominant, the contest tests whether the polls can still command polling unit