Ethiopia's electoral board sets tentative August date for elections

Ethiopia's electoral board said on Wednesday it expects to hold national elections on August 16, the first vote under prime minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office in 2018 and has directed political and economic reforms.

Birtukan Mideksa, the head of the electoral board, said the date was tentative.

Abiy released political prisoners and appointed former dissidents to high-level positions.

But the reforms have also unleashed long-simmering ethnic divisions and the electoral board said in June that the security situation could delay this year's election.

But Abiy, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said last week elections would be held in May or June, despite concerns over security and logistics.

- Reuters