Ethiopians head to polls in 7th general election
Ethiopians flocked to polling stations early in Addis Ababa on Monday to take part in the country’s seventh national general election.
Footage shows long lines forming early outside a polling station in the morning. Voters checked in and cast their ballots throughout the day, while Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) and former president, Uhuru Kenyatta, paid a visit to the polls.
“They have started on time and I think that is a positive thing. We found all the materials are here. We found voters patiently waiting to begin voting,” Kenyatta told the press.
“We will continue to monitor during the course of the day to see the flow, and then we’ll be back at the end of the day. So far, we can say that the process has started, it is moving, it is flowing, and we hope it continues like that for the rest of the day,” he continued.
According to the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), more than 50 million people have registered to vote, out of a population of around 130 million. Voters will elect 500 members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, along with representatives for regional and city councils.
While the number of registered voters is nearly a third higher than the previous 2021 election, NEBE has excluded 46 out of the 176 total constituencies across the country from Monday’s vote due to active warfare and insurgencies. This includes all 38 constituencies in Tigray Region, eight in Amhara as well as localised disruptions in Oromia.
Under Ethiopia’s parliamentary system, the party that wins a majority in the legislature will choose the country’s next prime minister.
Incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has led Ethiopia for the past eight years. He heads the Prosperity Party, which has governed the country since its formation in 2019. The party succeeded the former ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which held power from 1991 to 2018.
Source: Viory
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