Ethiopia Election Board Prepares Reruns in Areas Where Voting Was Not Held

Ethiopia’s National Election Board is preparing to conduct fresh voting in areas where the country’s seventh general election was not held, with eight constituencies already identified in the Amhara region, the Board’s deputy chairperson said.

Tesfaye Neway, speaking at a discussion forum organised by the Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations (CEHRO), said the Board was working to repeat the election in areas affected by various circumstances and would soon brief political parties and other stakeholders on the process.

The seventh general election was held on June 1, 2026, across more than 50,000 polling stations. The Board has previously said that special polling stations were established for internally displaced people, among other groups.

Tesfaye said the election had been conducted more effectively at the more than 50,000 polling stations where voting took place.

Regarding Tigray, he said the Board had held discussions with the region’s interim administration and would begin preparations for an election there if the necessary conditions were established.

The remarks came as the Ethiopian Human Rights Organisations Coalition reviewed the election process with representatives of political parties, civil society organisations and election observers.

The coalition said internally displaced people faced limited access to electoral information, which affected their participation. Mesud Gebeyehu, the coalition’s director, said inadequate information at displacement sites contributed to political disengagement among some voters.

“When internally displaced people do not have information, they may not participate, which leads to political exclusion,” Mesud said.

He also said some displaced voters had gone to the polls out of concern that failing to participate could affect the assistance they were receiving. However, he said the coalition had not observed clear coercion or direct pressure from candidates or the ruling party.

The coalition said it had trained observers for polling stations serving internally displaced people in South Wollo in the Amhara region, Benishangul-Gumuz and the Golej camp in the Somali region. It said gaps remained because sufficient information about voting arrangements had not reached the special polling stations before election day.

Mesud said inadequate voter education at displacement sites also left some voters uncertain about the impact of casting their ballots.

He called for greater public oversight after the election, saying voters, civil society organisations and the media have roles to play in monitoring whether elected representatives fulfil commitments made during the campaign.

For the eighth general election, the coalition called for stronger institutional independence and capacity at the Election Board, wider use of electronic systems and continued stakeholder consultations.

The Board has already approved results from 723 constituencies from the seventh election, while results from other constituencies have undergone verification, review or audit.

Source: FSX Business News