News: Electoral board unveils new date for Southwest referendum, elections in Somali & Harari regions

By Siyanne Mekonnen @Siyaanne 

Addis Abeba, August 24/2021 – The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) yesterday announced that the election in Somali and Harari Regions as well as the south west referendum will be held Three weeks after the previously set date on September 30, 2021. 

The board stated that it reached the decision after holding a discussion with political parties that compete in areas where the June 20(?) elections couldn’t be held due to security reasons. 

According to the statement of the NEBE some among the political parties argued that it is not advisable to hold an election in the current security situation in the country while the rest insisted that the elections should proceed in selected areas on the set date recalling the same security situation during June 20 elections. The closeness of the Meskel holiday celebration to the previously set election date September 6 (?) was also an issue raised by the political parties.

Therefore the board decided to push the elections back two weeks and hold it on September 30, 2020. The elections in Somali, Harari regions as well as the South west referendum will be held on the same date. Without revealing the exact date the board said  “Information related to the electoral process of remaining electoral districts will be given.” 

The June 21, 2021 national elections were held in most constituencies regions that participated with the exception of Tigray, Somali, Harari regions in their entirety, as well as some parts of Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, SNNP due to security reasons and issues Related to logistics.

The board is yet to announce the election schedule for all constituencies that did not participate in the national elections that took place on June 21, 2021, where the ruling Prosperity Party won by landslide in all contested seats for the House of People’s Representative (HoPR) and all regional councils. AS