Ethiopia: Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Chief Commissioner, Birhanu Adelo, announced today that the preliminary monitoring of the 7th General Election revealed it to be peaceful, democratic, and participatory, with no fundamental human rights violations.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the EHRC reported that the election adhered to standard international electoral criteria and was free from any major human rights breaches. As an authorized body, the EHRC is responsible for ensuring that national and local elections in Ethiopia align with human rights principles.
The Chief Commissioner disclosed that the EHRC deployed 104 monitoring teams, comprising over 320 members, on election day. These observers were assigned to nearly three thousand polling stations across more than 180 constituencies to carry out their evaluation.
The EHRC also formed a special monitoring team, which included the institution's top leadership, to oversee the election process, as stated by Chief Commissioner Birhanu. "In addition to those deployed in the field, the monitoring work was properly guided through a situation room and field observations by establishing a special monitoring team composed of the Chief and Deputy Commissioners, as well as four sectoral commissioners," he explained.
This special monitoring team was physically present in various locations, including Bahir Dar and Gondar cities in the Amhara region, Jimma and Goma, Agaro towns in the Oromia region, and around Arba Minch in the South Ethiopia region, to ensure comprehensive oversight.
Based on the EHRC's election day monitoring, the Chief Commissioner confirmed that the election was peaceful, participatory, democratic, and inclusive, with no fundamental human rights violations reported.