Pre-Election, Election Day Processes Orderly, Peacefully and Credible: AU Observation Mission

Addis Ababa,June 23/2021 (ENA) African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) said pre-election and Election Day processes in Ethiopia were conducted in "an orderly, peacefully and credible manner."

The preliminary statement of AUEOM only reflects observations from date of deployment of the mission on June 2, 20121 up to the conclusion of the counting process at polling stations.

At a press conference he gave today, AUEOM delegation Head and former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo said pre-election and Election Day processes in Ethiopia were conducted in an orderly, peacefully and credible manner.

He added that “there was nothing in the mission estimation that distracted from credible conduct of the elections.”   

The mission commended all Ethiopians for their demonstrated commitment to the democratic development of the country.

The AUEOM had deployed observers in five regions and two administration cities where they observed the opening, voting, closing and counting procedures, it was learned.

At the opening of polling stations, the AU observers reported that the election materials were sufficient in most of the visited polling stations; however, shortage of ballot papers was noted in few polling stations.  

The AU mission observed the voting processes in 249 polling stations, of which 76.3 percent were located in urban areas and 23.7 percent in rural areas. Voting took place in a largely peaceful atmosphere, with long queues, it pointed out.

According to the delegation head, international and domestic observers were granted unrestricted access to the polling stations and allowed to conduct their duties without interference.    

Based on overall assessment of the constitutional and legal framework for the June general elections, Obasanjo said the AUEOM noted that it was largely adequate and meets regional and international standards for the conduct of democratic elections.

The AUEOM further noted that National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) enjoys the truth and confidence of stakeholders. "This is mainly due to the transparent and consultative process of constituting NEBE as the positive perception of the Chairperson, Bertukan Mideksa."

He also applauded the efforts of NEBE in professionalizing the institution and asserting its independence and for achieving key aspects of electoral processes such as the establishment of the regional offices, recruitment and training of election officials, among others.

The delegation head commended the security measures put in place by Ethiopian authorities, which ensured a largely peaceful environment on the election day, despite the challenging security landscape.

The AUEOM finally called on all stakeholders to remain calm in the remaining electoral phase and urged any stakeholder that is dissatisfied with the electoral outcome to seek redress through the established legal and institutional mechanisms.