AU Commission to send monitors to Ethiopia polls

The African Union (AU) Commission has approved the deployment of a 50-member observer team to this month’s general election in Ethiopia.

“The mission has the mandate to observe the parliamentary elections in line with relevant African Union and international instruments,” the AU Commission said in a statement.

The mission will be led by former Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

“The mission shall provide an objective, independent and impartial assessment of the conduct of the elections in line with the aforementioned international and regional best practices and standards,” the statement read.

Ethiopia is set to hold its fifth parliamentary election on May 24, in which 58 parties will vie for 547 seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, along with seats in the country’s regional councils.

Some 36.8 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots at 45,000 polling stations nationwide.

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