Board Establishes Electoral Violence Risk Mapping for 2020 Election

Addis Ababab, February 15/2020 (ENA )  The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said that it will establish electoral violence risk mapping jointly with security forces in order to prevent violence during the upcoming national election.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Electoral Board Member Getahun Kassa said the joint electoral operation center includes the country’s law enforcement agencies and other electoral actors that ensure rule of law and order in the 2020 election.

“We are organizing a joint electoral operation center where the board and security forces and other electoral actors would participate to work towards prevention of electoral violence and respond to problems of electoral security,” he added.

According to him, the security situation in the country is one of the major challenges for free and peaceful election. The board believes that all expected electoral hostilities have to be mitigated.

“We understand that there are problems here and there with respect security,” Getahun said, adding that, “the first thing is (therefore) to do assessment of the security situation in the country.”

As NEBE is working on that it will set up a joint election operating center which will be responsible in mitigating electoral risk and violence as well as responding to immediate risk, he elaborated.

The arrangement will have its own positive impacts, besides the government’s critical role in addressing the security challenges, the member stressed.  

“Through this arrangement, we hope to address the challenges. However the bottom line is in ensuring the law and order in general; and this is the obligation of the government.”    

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced yesterday that the national election will take place on August 29, 2020.