Editing by: Team of Century Vision Horn "HAPC"
Ethiopia plans to hold general elections for the House of Representatives and regional councils in June 2026, in its seventh five-year term as stipulated by the constitution.
The Head of the House of Representatives, Tajisi Chaveau , last Wednesday, announced a plan to introduce technology to create a free and fair environment to ensure that the seventh general election is held next June.
Head of the Ethiopian House of Peoples
“A favorable environment is currently being created, which includes legislative reforms and technological integration” Tajisi Chaveau stated.
The Head of the House, Tajisi , added that through the House of Representatives’ review of the declaration on the registration of political parties, as well as the ethics of elections, the independence of the work of the body was confirmed without any interference.
According to the official Ethiopian News Agency, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, launched a month-long, voter registration process starting Saturday across the country in preparation for the seventh general elections scheduled for June.
President of the National Elections Council
For her side, the head of Ethiopia’s National Electoral Board, Melatürk Haylo, stated, “So far, 47 political parties have registered 10,934 candidates to compete for seats in the House of Representatives and various regional councils”.
During a ceremony in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian National Electoral Board officially launched new digital platforms, mobile and web applications, most notably the comprehensive digital application ” Mershay ,” with the aim of modernizing the electoral system in Ethiopia.
Simultaneously, a national forum was held in Addis Ababa to discuss synergies between judicial and democratic institutions under the title “Strengthening Judicial and Democratic Institutions for the Building of a Successful Nation.”
The forum discussed the possibilities of utilizing key judicial institutions to enable the democratic process to succeed, taking into account past experiences and adapting them with serious consideration to ensure the building of a strong nation in the future.
Observers believe that the general elections in Ethiopia come amid numerous challenges, including security tensions and conflict in some regions such as Tigray and Amhara , and political interference by Eritrea in the affairs of Ethiopian regions on its borders, which further fuels the conflict between groups in these regions, with the presence of Eritrean military forces in areas belonging to Ethiopia, as a threat to Ethiopian national security.
All these efforts come with the introduction of digital technology into the general election process and nomination procedures, in order to facilitate participation in the electoral process against these challenges, and to make it inclusive throughout the country in a way that ensures integrity and credibility.
