Ethiopia elections 2021: Abiy Ahmed faces first vote amid conflict

Ethiopians are voting in key elections amid rising tensions and a bloody conflict in the northern Tigray region.

This pandemic-delayed poll is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s first electoral test since coming to power in 2018.

But the vote has been postponed in Tigray, where the army has been fighting a local force since November.

Insecurity and logistical problems have hit other parts of the country as well, so overall there will be no voting in about a fifth of constituencies.

The Tigray conflict has sparked a humanitarian crisis, with 350,000 people living in famine conditions, according to a recent assessment.

Voting is taking place in the capital, Addis Ababa, where BBC reporters have seen long queues of voters. It is one area where Mr Abiy is expected to face a stiff challenge and where the opposition has succeeded in the past.

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“I came here to contribute to the election which I believe could be a great milestone for democracy,” Demiss Beyene, who started queuing two hours before polls opened, told the BBC.

“I believe the election will bring in peace… I really wish this election brings back our unity, instead of dividing us over ethnicity. I want to see a country where anyone can freely move and work in any place,” Tadelech Benti, another voter in Addis Ababa, said.

The general election, the first since 2015, was originally slated for August 2020 but was rescheduled because of coronavirus.

Under the initial election timetable, preliminary results from constituencies are to be announced within five days of the election, while final certified results are to be announced within 23 days.

Agencies