Addis Ababa, December 2, 2020 (FBC) – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today met with political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) to discuss about the upcoming general elections scheduled for mid-2021.
The discussion, which took place at the Prime Minister’s office, was attended by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).
The discussions saw presentation on the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders and an overview of electoral systems.
During the discussion, participants raised among others the following points:
• not rushing to elections without putting the necessary foundations in place• creating an enabling environment
• ensuring the primacy of rule of law preceding the elections
• placement of an election code of conduct for stakeholders including election observers
• stocktaking of legitimate political parties
• engagement of political parties according to the ‘rules of the game’
The Prime Minister on the occasion shared the federal government’s unwavering efforts to lay the foundation for free and fair elections in Ethiopia.
At the end, the participants reached an understanding on ways to ensure that the 2021 elections are democratic.