The African Union (AU) has deployed an election observation mission in Ethiopia to monitor the country’s general elections scheduled for June 1.
The 73-member AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) will observe election-day procedures, including the opening of polls, voting, closing, and counting and tabulation at polling stations, the AU said in a statement on Wednesday.
The mission, led by the former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, was drawn from 37 African countries and comprised representatives from African envoys accredited to the AU, officials of election management bodies, members of civil society organisations, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, as well as representatives of youth groups, it was noted.
The AUEOM is expected to release its preliminary statement on its findings and assessment of the conduct of the election a few days after the vote, while a final and comprehensive report will be published within two months, it said.
In the lead up to the election, the AU observers are expected to meet with Ethiopian authorities, including the National Election Board of Ethiopia, representatives of political parties, candidates, civil society organisations, and other election observation missions, among others.
Ethiopia is scheduled to hold its seventh general election on June 1, with voters primarily electing their representatives for the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR), the lower chamber of parliament, as well as members of regional state councils.
In line with the Ethiopian constitution, the political party or coalition that secures the majority of seats in the HoPR forms a government and selects the prime minister, who holds the highest executive power in the country.
MG/as/APA