Ethiopia Postpones Parliamentary Elections
National Electoral Board of Ethiopia Chairperson Birtukan Mideksa
Ethiopia has postponed parliamentary elections due on June 5, the country’s electoral body said on Saturday, adding it did not foresee a delay of more than three weeks.
The Horn of Africa country was originally scheduled to hold the vote in August 2020 but it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, there has been conflict in the northern region of Tigray, which will not take part in voting, as well as in other areas.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party face challenges from increasingly strident ethnically-based parties seeking more power for their regions.
(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Ethiopian election officials announced on Saturday that it had postponed the planned June 5 election indefinitely.
The move came amid the widespread security and logistical challenges the country is facing.
Birutkan Mideksa, chairwoman of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, confirmed the change of date in a press statement: “The vote will not happen on June 5.”
The vote was originally planned for last August, but then postponed for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which was ruling the northern region at the time, had resisted the postponement and held its regional elections in September.
Ethiopia postpones June 5 parliamentary elections
05/15/2021 13:46
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has postponed parliamentary elections due on June 5, the country s electoral body said on Saturday, adding it did not foresee a delay of more than three weeks.
The Horn of Africa country was originally scheduled to hold the vote in August 2020 but it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, there has been conflict in the northern region of Tigray, which will not take part in voting, as well as in other areas.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party face challenges from increasingly strident ethnically-based parties seeking more power for their regions.
Xinhua world news summary at 1600 GMT, May 15
Xinhua
16 May 2021, 02:44 GMT+10
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