ADDIS ABABA, May 27 — The African Union (AU) has deployed an election observation mission to monitor the conduct and integrity of Ethiopia’s general elections scheduled for early June.
Led by the former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, the 73-member AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Ethiopia was deployed at the invitation of the East African country’s government, the AU said in its statement issued Tuesday.
The mission, drawn from 37 African countries, comprised representatives from African envoys accredited to the AU, officials of election management bodies, members of civil society organizations, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, as well as representatives of youth organizations, it was noted.
The AU observers will be deployed across various regions of Ethiopia to observe election-day procedures, including the opening of polls, voting, closing, and counting and tabulation at polling stations, the statement said.
The AUEOM is expected to release its preliminary statement on its findings and assessment of the conduct of the election a few days after the general election, while a final and comprehensive report will be published within two months after the election, it said.
In the leadup to the election, the AU observers are expected to meet with Ethiopian authorities, including the National Election Board of Ethiopia, representatives of political parties, candidates, civil society organizations, and other election observation missions, among others.
Ethiopia is scheduled to hold its seventh general election on June 1, with voters primarily electing their representatives for the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR), the lower chamber of parliament, as well as members for regional state councils.
In line with the Ethiopian constitution, the political party or coalition that secures the majority of seats in the HoPR forms a government and selects the prime minister, who holds the highest executive power in the country. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
