ADDIS ABABA (Xinhuanet) — The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said Wednesday that it would study possibilities of setting up polling stations at higher learning institutions across the nation to enable students vote in the upcoming general elections.
NEBE said in a statement that Chairman of the Board Kemal Bedriand representatives of students of higher learning institutions have agreed on conducting a study on ways of setting up polling stations after discussing the issue on Wednesday.
Kemal said the Board would even opt to invite foreign experts to conduct the study.
The Board said it would facilitate conditions to enable the students cast ballots at their respective institutions.
The students’ representatives on their part said they will do their best towards the realization of the ideas put forward by theBoard.
The representatives said they have held a fruitful discussion with the Board’s chairman and have agreed on the possible ways of addressing their concern.
The national elections, scheduled to be held on May 15, will beonly the third democratic ballot in Ethiopia’s history, the only African country that had not been colonized.
The previous elections have been convincingly won by the rulingEthiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front.
Last week, NEBE said 55 political parties would be contesting in the elections.
More than 25 million of Ethiopia’s 70 million people have registered to vote. Enditem