Voters in 47 constituencies in the Somali, Harari and Southern regional states, as well as Dire Dawa City Administration, are casting their ballots in the sixth national elections. These were some of the constituencies that did not go to the polls along with most of the country in June this year, as the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) deferred votes due to irregularities with voters’ registration and security concerns.
A total of 7.6 million voters are expected to cast their ballots today.
Mustafa Omar, acting president of Somali Regional State, was among those who cast their ballots at Poll Station 4 in Degehabur town this morning. His political opposition, particularly the ONLF, has boycotted the elections accusing of widespread irregularities.
The Electoral Board expects five million residents in the Regional State to have voted by the time polls close at 6pm.
Still, 72 constituencies will remain unrepresented in parliament when it reconvenes next week. The majority of these are in Tigray Regional State, where civil war has precluded any notion of polls. The remaining constituencies are spread across the Amhara, Oromia, Afar, Southern and Benishangul-Gumuz regional states. Officials at the Board have yet to decide when voters in these areas will go to the polls, citing security issues.
