EU, Germany Support Electoral Board with 22 Vehicles

Feb 27 , 2021.

The European Union (EU) and Germany handed over 22 vehicles to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia last week with the aim of strengthening the institution's capacity. The vehicles, 10 pickup trucks and 12 hardtops, come at a total cost of 772,000 euros, which includes periodic maintenance and insurance for two years.

The donation was initiated through the European Response to Electoral Cycle Support in Ethiopia, a 16.5-million-euro programme funded by the European Development Fund and the German Ministry of Cooperation. The EU has also designated 3.6 million euros toward a project aimed at preventing electoral violence in Ethiopia.

Earlier this month, the Electoral Board disclosed a directory of the 49,407 designated polling stations across all regions of the country with the exception of Tigray Regional State. The Board also announced that it had begun distributing election materials and equipment to the stations.

Candidate registration is currently underway, while voter registration is expected to occur between late March and early April with the polling date set for June 5, 2021. The sixth national election was originally set to be held last year but was postponed due to the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020.

PUBLISHED ON Feb 27,2021 [ VOL 21 , NO 1087]