Ethiopians head to the polls as millions excluded from elections
Ethiopia went to the polls on Sunday in a national vote being framed as a re-evaluation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's tenure. Millions of voters in conflict areas and provinces with security concerns were unable to cast ballots.
Al JazeeraAccording to Al Jazeera, National Election Board chair Melatework Hailu said polls opened across most of Addis Ababa, the Amhara and Oromia regions even as voting was suspended in parts of the country. Of roughly 51 million registered voters, more than 12 million were reportedly unable to reach a physical ballot box. The BBC reported no polling stations in parts of Tigray.
African Union election observation mission head Olusegun Obasanjo said in his preliminary assessment that 'voting in some places was orderly, but inclusiveness is a serious concern'. Atlantic Council analyst Cameron Hudson shared possible parliamentary seat-allocation scenarios before final results. EU election observation co-chair Riccardo Lucchini said the team will issue its preliminary report on Tuesday.
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission Executive Director Daniel Bekele said in early observation notes that the ability to vote was 'severely restricted' in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz. Prosperity Party spokesperson Billene Seyoum, speaking for Abiy Ahmed's party, said the government had 'done everything possible to ensure ballot security across all regions'. Initial results are expected from Wednesday.
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