The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced the Electoral Calendar after having a discussion with political parties who are running in the constituencies where polling was not held on June 21, 2021.

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) held a discussion on August 19, 2021 with political parties who are running in the constituencies where it was not held on June 21. With the presence of all of the Board management, Birtukan Midekssa, the Chairperson of the Board presented NEBE’s activity report since the last electoral cycle.

The presentation included the provision of detailed information concerning the process of the upcoming election to be held in the constituencies where the General Election was not conducted due to security and current situation. The places where there is a convenience to hold the upcoming election were identified based on the investigation of the Board. The parties were requested to forward their comments on the date of the coming election and other related issues in the context of the current situation.

The participants appreciated the fact that the Board has put into consideration of the current situation in the country and has initiated a consultation with the parties. While there were some participants who gave remarks on the timeline to hold the election because of the security situation that the country is in, there were also participants who opposed this view by stating that the Election that was held on June 21st took place in a similar scenario where there has been security concerns, and that an election can held by identifying places where there is a relatively stable security situation. In addition to these, it was also commented that the date set for the upcoming election is close to the annual Meskal Holiday. As a result, the Board made the following decisions

1. The Election Day is set to be held on September 30, 2021 in Constituencies where the Election was not held on June 21, 2021.

2. Polling will be conducted in Somali, Harari, and SNNP regions, and the referendum of South Western People of Ethiopia will also be held on the same day, September 30, 2021. The Board will give additional information concerning the remaining constituencies where there won’t be polling.

National Election Board of Ethiopia

August 23, 2021