Coalition of CSOs Commends Successful Conduct of Election, High Voter Turnout

Addis Ababa,June 23/2021 (ENA)  The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Election (CECSOE), in its preliminary report issued today, has commended the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia for carrying out a successful election and the voters for the high turnout.

Briefing the media on the findings of its election observation, Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Election Board member, Sahleselassie Abebe said the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia has successfully carried out the election on Monday despite some shortcomings and gaps in the voting process.

He also admired the high voter turnout and patience of voters to case their ballots.  

According to him, competing parties have also contributed significantly to the peaceful conclusion of the election.

Moreover, the CEOCOE observer mission appreciated the active participation of women in the polling stations.

Despite the positive findings, the report said delay in opening of some polling stations and  lack of election materials were among the main challenges of the election.

Regarding the organization of polling stations, the fact that 1500 voters were accommodated at a polling station was not enough in terms of the time it would take for a voters to cast their  ballots, the preliminary report of Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations stated.

The process of issuing badges to observers was also delayed and repeated badged were published, making distribution of accreditation to observers challenging.

CECOE finally recommended that NEBE make legal, administrative, organizational, and logistical reforms.

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations comprised over 176 civil society organizations and 2,200 persons participated in observing the election.