Ethiopia’s Election Board Urges Parties to Submit Complete Vote-Related Complaints
Ethiopia's National Election Board has asked political parties that participated in the country's seventh general election to submit comprehensive complaints and supporting evidence regarding alleged voting irregularities, vote counting disputes, and result announcements by June 6.
ADDIS ABABA, (Somali Report) — Ethiopia's National Election Board (NEBE) has called on all political parties that participated in the country's seventh general election to submit complete and consolidated complaints concerning voting, vote counting, and the announcement of election results by June 6.
In a statement issued on Friday, the board said it had received complaints through multiple channels, including election-day grievance desks, its early warning and response system, telephone hotlines, text messages, and written submissions.
According to NEBE, some complaints were resolved immediately, while others remain under investigation.
The board said an independent team of legal experts is currently reviewing complaints submitted by political parties and other stakeholders following the election.
NEBE noted that while some grievances should have been addressed through constituency-level electoral procedures, others fall under the board's investigative authority.
The election body said the review process has been slowed by incomplete and fragmented submissions, as well as complaints lacking sufficient supporting information despite prior guidance provided to political parties on filing procedures.
Free Newsletter · Every Week
Sign up to the Somali Report
Get independent reporting on Somalia, the Horn, and the diaspora — delivered to your inbox every Monday.
To facilitate the investigation process, NEBE urged political parties to consolidate all election-related grievances into a single submission and include detailed information such as the names of constituencies and polling stations involved, the nature of the alleged violations, supporting evidence, and the remedies being sought.
The board said complaints may include allegations of voter intimidation, coercion, bribery, interference with ballot secrecy, exclusion of observers or party agents, use of fraudulent election documents, vote-counting irregularities, ballot box tampering, improper tabulation procedures, and delays in the publication of results.
Political parties were also requested to provide documentary, photographic, video, and witness evidence, as well as information on whether complaints had previously been filed with polling station officials or constituency grievance committees.
NEBE further stated that all submissions must be signed and certified as accurate by complainants and bear the official seal of the political party submitting the complaint.
The notice, issued on June 5, comes as the election board continues to process post-election complaints and disputes arising from the country's seventh general election.
About the Author
Mohamed Farah is a senior editor at Somali Report, based in London, covering geopolitics, trade, business, and security across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.