Addis Ababa, June 1, 2026 (FMC) — The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has announced an extension of voting hours until 12:00 a.m. for polling stations where the voting process has not yet been completed in the 7th General Election.
NEBE said voting began at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 1, 2026, across the country as Ethiopians participated in the national electoral process.
The Board stated that the decision to extend voting hours was made following a review of reports submitted by monitoring teams deployed at polling stations nationwide.
According to NEBE, the extension is in line with Article 49(4) of Proclamation No. 1162/2011 on Political Parties Registration, Election Ethics, and Electoral Conduct, which allows voting time to be extended in exceptional circumstances to ensure a free and fair electoral process.
Accordingly, polling stations where eligible voters in line by the official closing time had not yet cast their ballots will continue operating until 12:00 a.m.
NEBE also directed election officials to proceed with vote counting at polling stations where all registered voters have already completed casting their ballots.