The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) held a consultation with civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in voter education
The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) held a consultation with civil society organizations engaged in voter education. Deputy chairperson of the Board, Wubshet Ayele, members of the Board leadership, Abera Degefa (Dr.) and Bizuwerk Ketete, and Melatwork Hailu, CEO of the Board, were present at the consultation. The consultation was opened by a speech from the deputy chairperson who thanked the CSOs for their significant role in the success of the General Election.
Following the speech by the deputy chairperson, Abera Degefa (Dr.), a member of the Board leadership, who also thanked the CSOs, underlined that the role of the CSOs should not only be getting involved in voter education, but should also include a post-election review of roles during the election, the challenges they faced, and what is expected in the future.
Following the opening speeches made by members of the Board leadership, with the coordination from the Civic and Voter Education Department, the CSOs had a group discussion about what they accomplished during the Election, the challenges they faced, and their recommendation for the future. The groups presented their points through their representatives and explained in detail the different teaching strategies and languages they used during voter education.
They have stated that the peaceful process of the Election, the high turnout of voters to polling stations, and the use of brail and audio supports for voter education are the indicators of the success of the Election, whereas security issues and limited capacity of logistics and finance were mentioned as major challenges. They suggested that the inclusion of voter education in national education will help to ensure the better success of elections in the future.
Departments of the Board have also discussed and presented the challenges they faced. Abera Degefa (Dr.), a member of the Board leadership, gave a concluding remark indicating that an election is the duty and responsibility of all citizens. He also added that voter education, especially the points under the use of ballot papers, are most important to help avoidance of faulty ballot papers. He further explained that the implementation of plans improves when priorities are properly designated, and he underlined the importance of submitting reports to the Board on time. He also stated that the Board will work on the tangible limitations mentioned by the CSOs but also emphasized that the problems may not have an immediate solution.
It is remembered that the Board had a consultation previously on July 30, 2021, with the CSOs who have released pre-election statements and with those that were authorized to observe the Election.
