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

The Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU), which he leads as the country’s national trade union platform, had been accredited to observe tomorrow's polls. The organisation represents more than one million workers through nine industrial federations and about 2,500 trade unions. It had observed elections before and planned to monitor this one through a labour-rights lens. But the money did not arrive.

"We're trying to secure financing and observe the election," Kassahun told Fortune. "But because we couldn't obtain the resources, we'll not observe this election."

CETU's withdrawal captures the mood around the general election, the seventh since the constitutional order was established in the mid-1990s, a contest expected to send representatives to regional councils and the federal legislative house for the next five years, but unfolding in a cold and subdued atmosphere. Hours before voters head to polling stations, the question is less who will win than what kind of political order follows the election.

According to senior officials of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), the machinery is ready.

Ballot papers have reached designated locations, election materials have been distributed, and polling stations are prepared. The Board's chief, Melatwork Hailu, used a final briefing on May 27, 2026, at Skylight Hotel on Africa Avenue (Bole Road) to urge voters to participate. She has registered 10,438 candidates from 39 political parties, two coalitions, one front and 80 independent candidacies. One coalition includes eight parties, another includes four, and the front consists of four parties.

More than 250,000 candidate representatives have received badges, while 68 media organisations, including 56 local and 12 international outlets, have been accredited.

Yet the scale on paper masks a quieter election. The number of registered political parties fell by six to 42. The candidate list dropped by 451 from the initial list, including about 80 candidates removed for failing to submit required documents. Elections will not be held in 46 of the 547 constituencies, including all 38 in Tigray Regional State and eight in Amhara Regional State, where security conditions remain difficult.

The Board disclosed that over 50 million voters were registered when rosters were closed in April, with women accounting for 54.2pc. After reassessments allowed voter registration to resume in 40 previously suspended constituencies, 3,367 polling stations added 3.3 million voters, bringing the number to 53.8 million. Special polling stations also registered 20,122 university students, 28,632 internally displaced people and 126,498 military personnel.

"University-student registration figures were lower than expected, though some students may already have used the regular digital channel," said Melatwork.

When she addressed the media last week, the total tally of voters was 54 million. Although a digital voter-registration platform was introduced, only 10.9pc of registrants used it.

Registration itself showed the Board’s caution. Security assessments initially suspended registration in 48 constituencies, mainly in Amhara regional State with 38 rated red and 10 yellow. After reassessment, 40 were reopened for registration. That has made the vote feel as much administrative as political, with the hours expected to show whether Ethiopia can hold an election whose reach is broad but whose competitive energy has narrowed. Observation, once a major measure of the electoral credibility, is narrower this time.

According to Melatwork, 114 organisations received support from funds allocated by the UNDP, the European Union and the federal government budget provided to the Board, while acknowledging the money was insufficient.

CETU is not alone in struggling with funding shortages, which have hit several domestic groups even as NEBE disclosed local observation groups have expanded by more than 32pc compared with the previous national elections. The Board has accredited 55 civil society organisations to deploy 64,770 stationary and mobile observers, with 1,572 coordinators. Its officials expect this number to increase on polling day.

Around 169 organisations were certified for voter education, though another figure from the Board put the active number at 143, nearly eight percent lower than in the previous cycle.

The accredited domestic groups include women’s associations, youth federations, disability advocates, peace and development organisations and legal professional associations. NEBE has also organised training workshops for civic groups involved in election work. Among those still preparing are the Ethiopian Youth Federation, the Federation of Ethiopian Associations of Persons with Disabilities, the Amhara Region Youth Associations Federation, the Oromia Women Federation, and the Gondar Development & Peace Association.

Diplomatic missions based in Addis Abeba have also requested permission to observe and have been granted observer badges. More than 220,000 party representatives have been accredited to observe voting on election day, adding another layer to the observation framework, though the Board has issued more than 250,000 candidate-representative badges.

The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) chose to stay in despite the shortfall in funding. According to its Programme Manager, Wondimneh Mola, the Association, which deployed 178 observers during the last election with 15 million Br support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), now depends on roughly 500,000 Br from internal resources.

"Due to severe shortages in funding resources, it has become extremely difficult for us to provide training and cover transportation and other operational expenses for our observers," he said. "The funds we used to receive have been almost entirely reduced."

The Association trained only 70 short-term observers to monitor election-day activities, who are expected to operate in the Amhara, Oromia, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Sidama, and Afar regional states, as well as in Dire Dawa.

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections, the largest domestic observer alliance, is better positioned. Representing 180 member organisations, it plans to deploy more than 4,100 observers nationwide, with more than half serving as stationary observers and the rest operating as mobile monitors.

"The short-term observers are now in training," Abera Hailemariam, the director general, told Fortune last week.

But its pre-election assessment, covering 4,990 polling stations, documented serious problems, particularly in the Amhara Regional State. It cited the killing of an election official in East Gojjam Zone, attempted attacks in Awi and Wag Himra, and risks to election workers and voters. It also reported voter registrations in prohibited locations such as military camps, police stations, religious institutions, health facilities, hotels, and private homes, as well as registrations without voters physically present or with invalid identification.

Elderly voters and persons with disabilities faced accessibility barriers.