BY HAILE DEMEKE
According to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), all the necessary preparations have been finalized for Ethiopia’s 6th National Elections which is going to take place on Monday 21 June 2021. On top of that, the board was able to toss ideas around with contending political parties geared toward making the upcoming election fair, free and credible.
Likewise, contending parties have been actively partaking in election campaigns again and again with flying colors putting a wide spectrum of options into play. Against this backdrop, the envisioned target is being attained. As learned from NEBE, more than 37 million citizens have been registered to vote in the upcoming election. Furthermore, as things stand at present, people registered to vote account for 80 percent of the expected number of voters.
Nowadays, since the commencement of the reform, the upcoming election is getting more attention as the country is undergoing wider economic, social, and political reforms. In this day and age, anti-peace elements are working around the clock intending to destabilize the nation and turn their vision into reality at the earliest possible time despite they cannot make their dream become a reality.
Recently, pressures from some western countries coupled with some anti-peace elements residing in the length and breadth of the country are working with the sweat of their brow to undermine the peace and stability of the country time after time.
Despite all those pressures and challenges from in and outside of the country,
the government is exerting its utmost effort with the intention of making the upcoming election a credible one more than ever before.
In the same way, the incumbent is committed to creating a conducive environment for citizens to elect their representatives freely and without any pressure. At the same time, contending parties are entertaining their agenda to the wider public across the nation.
Timetable allocated for contending political parties to entertain their agenda and motivate citizens to elect their representatives has been heading in the right direction. Besides, the parties have been making use of a range of print and electronic media outlets as a campaign platform to reach a wider audience.
Many expect that the upcoming election will be another millstone to catapult the country to a new chapter of accomplishment.
Regarding the election, Political Science and International Relations Expert Dr. Melaku Tegegn said that the upcoming election will play a big role in ensuring Ethiopia move towards a democratization process.
“The upcoming election will play a major role in building democracy on a national scale,” he added.
The highly anticipated elections will arguably be the government of Ethiopia’s first free and fair elections. Since 2018, the current administration has been committed to widening the political space and enabling a conducive environment for democratic and informed discourse.
Chairperson of NEBE, Birtukan Mideksa, in her discussion with contending political parties said that the board had faced challenges concerning printing voters’ registration cards.
With the intention of bridging the gaps, the board operation department did an audit and made its mind up to re-print voters’ registration cards in some polling stations.
Soleyana Shimelis, NEBE Communications Advisor on her part said that local and international journalists operating in Addis Ababa managed to pay a visit to logistical preparations for the upcoming election.
It is crystal clear following the failure of the previous regime to build a democratic culture, Ethiopia is now confronted with twin challenges of building the necessary institutions and mindsets to enable a robust democratic culture and practice.
Ethiopians are also presented with an opportunity to transition the country into a new era of governance and prosperity befitting the long history and aspirations of its proud people and the ample growth potential our country possesses. To this end, the Federal government is committed to holding the first free, fair, and peaceful elections.
With a vested interest and commitment to democratization, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues to convene Regional Presidents and the Head of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia to identify and resolve bottlenecks or challenges in the pre-election phase. Resultantly, the Prime Minister held virtual meetings to follow up on security arrangements and set up polling stations in each region.
While on the subject, the anti-peace elements are working to distort the election process and also undermine peace and stability throughout the country. Therefore the media should discharge their role in making the upcoming election successful.
According to information obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia’s 6th National Elections are scheduled to take place on Monday 21 June 2021. The highly anticipated elections will arguably be the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s first attempt at free and fair elections.
Thus far, significant progress has been made in anticipation of the polls, including the conclusion of voter registration, which has seen 37,408,600 citizens register to vote, of which 17 million are women, representation of political parties in these elections have seen 46 of 49 registered political parties fielding more than 9,000 candidates in federal and regional constituency races, engagement of over 190 domestic civil society organizations in the provision of voter education and 34 domestic civil society organizations are deploying over 100,000 Ethiopians in the observation of the vote and other electoral activities across the country.
In a similar manner, in addition to domestic observers, international observer groups from the African Union, United States, European Union, and Russian Federation, as well as diplomatic staff from embassies located in Ethiopia, are set to observe the upcoming polls.
What is more, a National Election Security Committee comprising members of the Federal Police, the Attorney General, the National Intelligence and Security Service, and the Ministry of Defense and regional representatives has been established by the government to ensure a peaceful and legitimate election.
The Government of Ethiopia continues to be committed to holding democratic and peaceful elections in the country and wishes to encourage its international partners to bolster these efforts through tangible support for the ongoing democratic transition in the country.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JUNE 17 /2021
