East African Standby Force Mission Says Ethiopia Conducted Election in Calm, Peaceful Manner

Addis Ababa,  June 22/2021 (ENA ) The 6th General Election held on Monday in Ethiopia was conducted in a calm and a peaceful manner, according to the East African Standby Force (EASF) Election Observation Mission.
Briefing the media on the preliminary report of the mission today, EASF Election Observation Mission Head Ambassador Abdilahi Aouled Ali Meci said the election was held peacefully and with no major incident recorded so far in areas where the mission observed.

“The 6th General Election held on 21^st June, 2021 in Ethiopia was conducted in calm and peaceful manner,” the head noted.

The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) has deployed 12 teams of observers in 5 regions and two city administrations.

The teams have not recorded any major incidents till now, according to Ambassador Abdilahi, who added that high presence of law enforcement agencies has been observed in most areas of deployment.

The observers have also recorded high participation of women and youth. In most polling stations visited, priority was given to the elderly and physically challenged, he stated.

The EASF Election Observation Mission has made recommendations to the different actors in the election.

It suggest that the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) engages with relevant stakeholders to strengthen voter education.

EASF urged all political actors to refrain from hate speech and intimidation. Political actors should call for peace and tolerance, the head stressed.

Finally, Ambassador Abdilahi said “the EASF wishes to express its appreciation and gratitude to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the relevant authorities, including NEBE, for supporting and facilitating our mission.”  

The Eastern Africa Standby Force is a regional organization whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the Eastern Africa region.