Constituencies and Polling Stations

List of Regions and City Administrations

The 6th national election will be held in 673 constituencies in the regions and city administrations mentioned below.

  • Addis Ababa City
  • Afar Region 
  • Amhara Region
  • Benshangul Gumuz Region
  • Dire dawa City
  • Gambella Region
  • Harari Region
  • Oromia Region
  • Sidama Region
  • SNNPR Region
  • Somali Region

Number of Polling Stations

The following is the number of polling stations that will be used for the 6th General Election at the regional and national levels. 

  • Total Number of  Polling Stations - 49,407
  • Addis Ababa City - 1,848
  • Afar Region - 1,432
  • Amhara Region - 12,199
  • Benshangul Gumuz Region - 699
  • Diredawa City - 305
  • Gambella Region - 431
  • Harari Region - 285
  • Oromia Region - 17,623
  • Sidama Region - 2,247
  • SNNPR Region - 8,281
  • Somali Region - 4,057

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) is empowered by Article 7 of Proclamation No. 1133/2011 to establish polling constituencies and stations throughout the country. The constituencies established in this manner shall have the following powers and functions in accordance with Article 14 of Proclamation No. 1162/2011.

A constituency:

  1. According to the schedule set by the Board, distributes election materials to polling stations, and registers candidates, and issues ID cards to eligible candidates;
  2. Ensures that documents and election materials dispatched from polling stations are properly filled, received, and handled with care;
  3. Supervises the proper functioning of polling stations;
  4. Shall decide on complaints and grievances in accordance with the law;
  5. After collecting the results from the polling station, it shall identify the winners and announce provisional results to the public, fills in necessary forms and sends them to the Board;
  6. Transfers the list of representatives of the parties to the polling stations;
  7. Shall elect the members of the Constituency Grievance Hearing Committee in accordance with the election proclamation and the directives issued by the Board;
  8. Coordinates the joint consultation forum of political parties that compete in the constituency;
  9. Responds immediately to complaints that come from polling stations regarding the election process and results;
  10. Issues a nomination ID to the winners in accordance with the directive the board gives;
  11. Performs other functions as may be provided by the Board or the regional branch office.

Similarly, a polling station that will be established by the Board shall have the following powers and functions in accordance with Article 16 of Proclamation No. 1162/2011.

A polling station: 

  1. Registers voters;
  2. Receives and carefully handles election materials dispatched from the constituency;
  3. Holds secret elections in accordance with the law;
  4. Deals with grievances in accordance with the law;
  5. Informs the public by conducting the vote count and posting the provisional results on the bulletin board;
  6. Ensures that ballot papers and materials are properly filled and preserved and are sent to the constituency;
  7. In accordance with Article 15 (10) of this proclamation and the directives issued by the Board, it shall elect two members of the polling station appeals’ committee;
  8. Responds promptly to complaints and grievances during the election process, it takes corrective action;
  9. Performs other functions as may be provided by the Board, the Regional Branch Office, or the constituency.

In addition, in accordance with Article 17 of Proclamation No. 1162/2011, the Board shall facilitate the participation of soldiers, civil servants, and their families living in camps far from their constituencies, students of higher education institutions, displaced persons, and inmates who have not been deprived of their right to vote by establishing special polling stations.

The Board is drafting the following guidelines regarding constituencies and polling stations.

  1. Regional Branch Office, Constituency and Polling Station Organization, and Election Preparation Guide;
  2. Guidelines for Specially Established Polling Stations; and
  3. Mobile Polling Stations and Voter Registration Guide.

Refer Article 12 to Article 17 of Proclamation No. 1162/2011 for details on constituencies and polling stations.