Ethiopia Election Board Reviews Disputed Seats as Nationwide Tally Nears Completion

June 12, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

The National Election Board of Ethiopia said it is nearing the completion of its nationwide electoral tally as it continues reviewing contested results from the country’s seventh general election, with a small number of constituencies still pending final confirmation.

At a briefing, Board Chair Melatwork Hailu said 148 witnesses had provided testimony linked to complaints raised by political parties over the conduct and results of the election. Their statements form part of an ongoing legal review covering 120 constituencies where disputes were filed.

She said the board’s legal team is still assessing the cases and that decisions will be issued once the examination process is concluded.

Out of a total of 1,139 constituencies, results from 1,131 have already been posted, leaving eight constituencies yet to be finalised. These include four seats for the House of Peoples’ Representatives and four for regional councils.

Melatwork also confirmed that results from Halaba One and Kebribeyah, which had previously remained incomplete, have now been finalised and published.

Technical adviser Armaye Assefa presented a regional breakdown of the remaining and completed results. Southwest Ethiopia has one regional council result pending, Central Ethiopia has one House of Peoples’ Representatives seat pending, while Benishangul Gumuz has one parliamentary seat and one regional council seat outstanding. Addis Ababa has one House seat pending, Amhara has one House seat pending, Oromia has four regional council seats and seven House seats pending, and Dire Dawa has 15 regional council results recorded.

The board said it has so far approved 32 results covering both regional councils and House of Peoples’ Representatives seats following technical and administrative verification, according to Ahadu Radio.

Among the approved outcomes, candidates from several parties, including the Coalition for Ethiopian Unity, the Renaissance Party, the Freedom and Equality bloc, the Ethiopian Democratic Union, and the Wollo Peoples’ Democratic Party, have secured seats in contested constituencies. Citizens for Social Justice Party chair Eyob Mesafint also won a seat in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, while Mekonnen Golesa of the Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement secured a parliamentary seat.