Over 38 Million Voters Participate in 6th General Election

Approximately 38 million registered voters cast their ballots in Ethiopia's 6th General Election on June 21, 2021, demonstrating strong public participation.

June 23, 2021

Ethiopia's National Election Board (NEBE) announced that more than 38 million registered voters participated in the 6th General Election held on June 21, 2021, reflecting broad civic engagement despite ongoing challenges in parts of the country.

The election was conducted across over 50,000 polling stations nationwide. Long queues were reported at many polling centres as voters exercised their democratic right in what was described as a largely peaceful and orderly process in most regions.

Voter registration and participation highlights:

Total registered voters: 38.2 million
Polling stations opened: 50,000+
Voting hours: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time
Regions with full participation: Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, Sidama, Dire Dawa, Harari, Gambela, Benishangul-Gumuz, Afar, Somali

Voting was not held in the Tigray region due to the ongoing armed conflict, and was also postponed in several constituencies in other regions due to security concerns. These areas held their elections in the second round on September 30, 2021.

NEBE Chairperson Birtukan Midekssa stated that the board was satisfied with the overall conduct of the election and commended voters for their peaceful and orderly participation. She noted that voter education campaigns conducted ahead of the election contributed significantly to the high turnout.

The strong voter participation was widely seen as a positive sign for Ethiopia's democratic process, even as observers noted that the election took place in a challenging political and security environment.