The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) will deploy a joint monitoring committee to constituencies flagged as facing security challenges, after consultations with political parties on 11 March 2026 raised concerns about campaign access and the safety of election officials ahead of the 7th general election.
All five board members, including Chairperson Melatwork Hailu, attended the consultations, according to Addis Standard. Political parties raised concerns about potential threats in certain regions, their ability to campaign freely, and the capacity of local election officials to work without undue influence.
The monitoring and oversight committee will include representatives from NEBE's election monitoring team, political parties, and civil society organizations, the report said. The committee's mandate is to assess conditions on the ground in areas where parties reported difficulties.
Chairperson Melatwork said the Board is working to ensure relevant government institutions address issues requiring corrective measures, according to the report.
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The Board is working to ensure relevant government institutions address issues requiring corrective measures.
NEBE operates a three-tier color-coded security classification system — green (suitable for elections), yellow (proceed with caution), and red (unfit for voting) — unveiled in December. Biruk Wondwossen, head of NEBE's Operations Department, previously presented constituency-level peace and security reports categorized under the system, according to Addis Standard.
The classification framework was designed to assess the feasibility of holding elections in each constituency prior to voter registration. NEBE has not publicly disclosed how many constituencies fall into each category. The number of constituencies classified as red — where voting would not proceed — remains unreported.
The consultations follow a pattern familiar from Ethiopia's most recent general election in June 2021, when security-related postponements delayed voting in parts of Tigray, Somali, and Harari regions. Active conflict persists in parts of Oromia Regional State, and recent reports have described security force operations in Metekel Zone, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State. The red classification carries significant implications: constituencies deemed unfit for voting effectively mean disenfranchisement for residents of those areas. How broadly NEBE applies that designation — and whether conditions in yellow-coded areas improve sufficiently before election day — will shape the scope and credibility of the 7th general election.
