According to what was published by the organization on its social media platforms, the head of the IGAD election observation mission, Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, stated that the mission held a number of consultative meetings with key actors in the electoral process and civil society representatives as part of pre-election assessment activities.
She indicated that the discussions addressed the overall level of preparedness for the electoral process, the role of various stakeholders in ensuring peaceful and credible elections, as well as efforts to enhance democratic participation.
These consultations included leaders from the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Women’s Union, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations Coalition. The discussions focused on electoral preparations, security aspects, and ways to ensure a peaceful, inclusive, and reliable democratic process.
The IGAD Secretariat mentioned in a social media post that the meeting held with the Chairperson of the National Electoral Board, Melatwork Hailu, addressed a number of key issues, including the readiness of the electoral process, enhancing inclusivity, election security, electoral dispute resolution mechanisms, and the transmission and announcement of results.
The Board also reviewed the use of the “Mertchayi” application for digital registration of voters and candidates, in addition to initiatives aimed at enhancing women’s participation in the political process and addressing violence against women during elections.
As part of its consultations with the Ethiopian Women’s Union, the mission discussed the role of women in governance and electoral processes. The Union presented its efforts in peacebuilding and national dialogue, and informed the mission that it had deployed more than 10,000 trained female election observers across the country.
Discussions with the Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations Coalition also focused on the level of election preparedness, plans for deploying observers, and the importance of coordination and cooperation among various stakeholders to promote peaceful, transparent, inclusive, and credible elections.
These consultations are part of IGAD’s broader efforts to engage with stakeholders and support the conduct of democratic and reliable electoral processes in Ethiopia.
