Broad Platforms Being Created for Political Parties to Present Policies, Ideas: Officials of Media Institutions

Addis Ababa, March 14, 2026 (ENA)—Officials of media institutions the Ethiopian News Agency talked to said they are creating a broad platform for political parties competing in 7th General Election to present their alternative policies and programs for the public.

The media serve as main pillars for building a democratic system by raising the political awareness of citizens and creating a convenient platform to freely express their ideas.

In particular, they play a significant role in educating the public during elections by providing equal coverage of debates and reports to competing political parties so that the public can make informed decisions.

Officials of the media institutions told ENA that the media have a huge responsibility for a free, fair and democratic electoral system in a country.

News Division Deputy CEO at the Ethiopian News Agency, Tefera Bekele, said the media are tools for building a democratic system that plays a constructive role in the success of election.

 

The Ethiopian News Agency has therefore established an election desk working on a plan focused on pre-election, election, and post-election to effectively cover the 7th General Election.

Accordingly, the news agency has been disseminating election reports on news and news-related issues via local and international languages with quality and speed, he noted. 

Scheduled for June 1, 2026, the seventh general election comes at a time when public expectations for credible democratic practices are higher than ever. With electoral institutions gaining greater independence and operational capacity, the vote is expected to serve as an important indicator of Ethiopia’s democratic maturity and the resilience of its governance structures.

The government has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to creating a conducive environment for conducting free, fair, and credible elections.

In this context, media outlets have been playing a leading role by providing platforms where political parties can engage in debates and present their manifestos to voters as the electoral campaign gains momentum.

Election Desk Chair at the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), Bekri Nasir, said for his part that the corporation is working based on the experience of the 6th election and preparing a debate forum alongside reporting on the election.

 

He further stated that EBC is creating a platform to enhance the culture of dialogue using different languages to strengthen the multi-party system based on idea superiority among political parties.

Similarly, Fana Media Corporation Deputy CEO, Dawit Mesfin, said the platforms created by the corporation for competing political parties play a pivotal role in helping citizens understand alternative policies.

According to the Deputy CEO, a platform is created where competing political parties can freely present their policy options to the public by creating a fair distribution of airtime.

This creates the opportunity for citizens to vote for the political party they prefer in the 7th General Election.

Dawit further noted that a favorable media environment that will allow Ethiopians to build a political culture based on the supremacy of ideas is being created.

 

The policy alternative debate platforms created by the media are changing the previous pattern of blaming by creating a promising democratic environment.

Finally, the officials of the media stressed their commitment to continue playing constructive role in fostering political competition based on superiority of ideas.