Ethiopia’s general elections moved to 21 June

Ethiopia’s general election will now take place on 21 June, 16 days later than planned, the electoral board has announced.

The country was supposed to hold nationwide elections last year but they were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The delay contributed to the escalation of political tensions as some groups accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration of using the pandemic as a pretext to stay in power illegally.

The elections were then rescheduled to be held on 5th of June in most parts of the country while in the capital, Addis Ababa, they were set to be held a week later.

However, the electoral board revealed last week that logistical and operational difficulties, including belated voter registration in some areas due to recurring violence, meant it wouldn’t be possible to conduct the polls as scheduled.