Voter registration for Ethiopia general elections extended by 2 weeks

ADDIS ABABA - The deadline for voter registration for the upcoming sixth Ethiopia general elections has been extended by two weeks until May 7, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced Friday.

Voters registration was initially slated to end on Friday.

The NEBE cited as factors behind the extension delays in opening voter registration offices, lack of sufficient information relating to registration, as well as security problems in some areas of Ethiopia's Oromia regional state.

Ethiopia's two eastern regional states, Somali and Afar, have their voters registration deadline extended by three weeks until May 14, it said.

More than 18.4 million out of the 50 million potential voters have so far registered to vote, it added.

The NEBE has tentatively set June 5 as the date for the sixth general elections.