ADDIS ABABA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced on Friday it has extended the deadline for upcoming sixth general elections by four more days.
In a press statement, NEBE said the deadline for registration of candidates for upcoming general elections has been extended until Tuesday, March 9. Previously, it had been slated to end on Friday.
In regard to the reasons, the NEBE cited delays in opening constituency offices, logistical challenges faced by competing political parties and other related issues.
On Monday, the NEBE announced the postponement of voters' registration for the country's sixth general elections this year, citing challenges like delayed support from regions.
The NEBE said the registration is re-scheduled to start on March 25 and last until April 23. Previously, it had been slated to fall on March 1-25.
Ethiopia was initially slated to hold its sixth general elections on August 29, 2020.
However, the Ethiopia House of Federation (HOF), the country's upper house of parliament approved a recommendation in June 2020 to postpone the national elections citing the health threat posed by the COVID-19.
Ethiopia has as of Friday morning recorded 162,954 COVID-19 cases and 2,394 COVID-19 related deaths.
In December, the NEBE tentatively set June 5, 2021, as the date for the sixth general elections. Enditem
