The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has requested the country’s parliament to approve its proposed $132 million budget to fund the May 2020 elections.
The board had submitted the request to the Budget and Finance Affairs Standing Committee of the Parliament, according to Birtukan Medeksa, NEBE’s Chairperson.
She made the remark while briefing journalists on Monday about the activities undertaken during the past couple of months to organize the national electoral board, which is accountable to parliament.
The budget request comes as leaders of different political parties call for the postponment of the election in an attempt to minimize rising ethnic poltics across the country.
Recently, the parliament passed a law to restructure the electoral board in a manner that is independent from the influence of any other body and enables it to conduct free, fair, credible, and peaceful election.
More than 100 political parties have been registered to compete in the next election but some political parties were merged following the call made by the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for unity a month ago.
MG/Aas/PA