Ethiopia sets June 21 as new date for its delayed elections

JOHANNESBURG (AP):

Ethiopia will hold its delayed parliamentary elections on June 21, the country’s national electoral board announced on Thursday, a vote that determines who will be prime minister.

There will be no voting in the embattled Tigray region.

The elections were to have taken place on June 5, but were postponed earlier this month after officials said the electoral board needed more time to print ballot papers, train polling staff, and register voters.

According to the revised schedule, voting will take place after June 21 in some areas because of security concerns and to allow more time for voters to register, the electoral board said.

Ethiopia twice postponed the elections last year, citing the coronavirus pandemic and logistical issues.

The delays heightened tensions with regional leaders in Tigray, who disputed the legitimacy of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government after its mandate expired in October. Tigray’s leaders held their own unauthorised poll in that region, provoking the government.