After all, voters in Ethiopia may not crowd polling stations on June 5, 2021, as initially scheduled by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).

If anything is certain from statements made by electoral officials on Saturday, the polling date for the sixth national elections could be moved by weeks, although no date is fixed.

The Board needed to put together all variables before making a decision, according to Birtukan Mideksa, chairperson of the Board, who conferred with representatives of contesting parties over the weekend. Preparations for polling activities were slated to begin following the completion of  voters` registration, and the NEBE will have to account for activities such as the distribution of polling equipment, rolling out of training, and recruitment of poll facilitators, she said.

During a press briefing held two weeks ago, the Board had hinted that the elections might face postponement if the measure is seen as necessary after conducting assessments.

"We'll be working to fit these activities in between the completion of registration and polling dates," Birtukan had said at the time.

Voters` registration was extended twice due to security concerns and logistical issues, narrowing the time between registrations and polling activities to a mere three weeks.

The Chairperson confirmed that the Board`s tasks cannot be met within the remaining time before she proposed to shift the polling date to an undisclosed time.

"Our assessment shows that it's not possible to conduct the elections based on the schedule," Birtukan said.

She, however, said a new poll date would be set after reviewing feedback from political parties, some of which have already welcomed the postponement.

The National Movement of Amhara (NAMA), established three years ago, is one of them.

Tahir Mohammed, head of communications for NAMA, said delayed polls were expected and postponing it is reasonable considering the remaining activities, such as printing ballots. Some of the contesting parties have proposed a delay of three months during discussions with the Board late last week, held at the Inter Luxury Hotel, formerly known as the InterContinental Addis. Tahir believes the Board will take feedback from these political parties into consideration when making the decision.

Enat Party too takes the delay positively, considering the current instability in the country.