Fortune News | Feb 16,2019
Relative calm descended on the streets following the end of a rather pallid campaign season for Ethiopia’s sixth national elections. On high-security alert and with a population more anxious about what polling day may bring than thrilled with the prospect of voting, the country will see one of its more momentous elections occur tomorrow. It is marred by unprecedented events seven months since war broke out in the Tigray Regional State, 15 months since the first case of COVID-19 was reported, three years since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) came to office, half a decade since the first state of emergency was declared and six years since voters last went to the polls.
The promises of most political candidates for the 38 million registered voters have been that the next five years - the length of a single term - would prove more peaceful and less hectic than what has transpired since the mid-2010s. To help them make this choice in secret ballots, at least from the 46 parties either allowed or choosing to run, is the National Electoral Board, tasked with overseeing and managing a massive logistical and technical polling machinery.
Armed with a war chest of 3.7 billion Br, it will receive voters from close to 48,000 polling stations staffed with roughly five poll workers each on average. Perhaps the logistical nightmare is a bit alleviated by the Board having already postponed voting in 64 constituencies of the 547 seats in parliament to September due to security and printing issues. These constituencies do not include the 38 seats of the Tigray region, where a schedule for elections has not been set owing to its dismal security situation.
When voters go to polls tomorrow, which opens at 6am and will stay open through the day, they should catch a glimpse of some of the over 46,000 local observers. There are also 45 civil society organisations and 100 international observers monitoring the elections. Sometime in the three weeks after polling day, the Board will announce the results, and together with it, a glimpse of the future to come.
PUBLISHED ON
[ VOL
, NO
]
Fortune News | Feb 16,2019
Commentaries | May 23,2021
Radar | May 26,2021
Viewpoints | Jan 16,2021
Fineline | Jun 20,2020
Sponsored Contents | May 20,2021
My Opinion | Jul 13,2020
View From Arada | Dec 05,2018
Fineline | Dec 10,2018
Commentaries | Jul 18,2020
July 24 , 2021
There was an alarming increase in the price of Teffin August 2017. It suddenly skyroc...
June 26 , 2021 . By HAWI DADHI and SAMUEL BOGALE
This past Monday was the second time Belay Zerihun, a second-time voter, has had to s...
June 12 , 2021
Milton Freedman, the renowned monetary economist, had a mantra. He believed, "inflati...
May 24 , 2021
The United States imposes visa restrictions against current and former Ethiopian and...
July 31 , 2021
They say making peace is harder than waging war. It is a real test of the courage of...
July 24 , 2021
There was an alarming increase in the price of Teffin August 2017. It suddenly skyroc...
July 18 , 2021
The function held by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to announce the...
July 10 , 2021
There is no shortage of drafts beings drawn, and bills authored these days. The more...
Put your comments here