National Election Board of Ethiopia to conduct security assessment ahead of national vote

The National Election Board of Ethiopia NEBE is preparing to deploy a taskforce to conduct security assessments across the country, less than two months before the seventh national elections scheduled for June 1, 2026. This initiative comes amid concerns from opposition parties, security challenges, logistical hurdles, and budgetary issues. Melatwork Hailu, NEBE chair, stated that the taskforce will include representatives from political parties, civil society organizations, and election observers. Their role is to assess conditions and provide recommendations for a safer electoral environment in high-risk regions. This move follows disagreements between opposition parties and the NEBE over previous security assessments, where opposition figures claimed they could not field candidates or campaign in many constituencies the Board had deemed safe. Over 50 million citizens have registered to vote, with 195,000 electoral administrators deployed to nearly 49,000 polling stations across 614 constituencies. The government allocated 10 billion Birr for the election, but officials have requested additional funding. Political parties received 81 million Birr, and 37 media organizations and 169 civil society organizations have been accredited for coverage and observation, respectively. International observation missions from the African Union and IGAD are also expected. Electoral activities have faced disruptions in parts of Oromia, Amhara, Harar, and Sidama regions, leading to the clos