Addis Ababa, July 5, 2025 (FMC) — The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has announced its plan to conduct the upcoming seventh general election via technology-based systems, with the aim of improving transparency, efficiency, and accessibility.
The announcement was made during a joint forum of democratic institutions accountable to the House of People’s Representatives (HPR), where institutions presented progress reports on their respective reform efforts.
NEBE Chairperson Melatework Hailu, presenting the Board’s reform agenda, highlighted substantial strides in modernizing its operations.
She emphasized that legal, human resource, and institutional reforms are being informed by lessons learned from previous elections.
“As part of our commitment to transparency and inclusivity, we are preparing to implement a technology-based system to ensure the seventh general election is free, fair, and credible,” she noted.
She revealed that NEBE is developing a mobile application to support key electoral processes, including voter and candidate registration.
To ensure inclusivity, she noted, the digital system will be complemented by manual procedures.
To facilitate the election, the Board plans to scale up voter education initiatives, enabling both political parties and the general public to effectively engage with the new technology.
“A supporting proclamation has already been submitted to the HPR”, she added.
In related updates, Chief Ombudsman Simegn Wubbe reported that the Office of the Ethiopian People’s Ombudsman has undergone significant reforms to strengthen its ability to resolve administrative grievances.
Over the past 11 months, the office reviewed more than 2,000 complaints and issued corresponding recommendations, Simegn added.
Meanwhile, Berhanu Adelo, Commissioner of Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) shared the progress of the commission in promoting and protecting human rights.
He announced the adoption of a digital system to support investigative work and reaffirmed continued efforts to reinforce human rights protections.
According to the commissioner, these reforms are vital to building public trust in democratic institutions and ensuring that citizens’ rights are protected and upheld, ENA reported.