ADDISABABAย โ Ethiopiaโs parliamentary polls, held on Monday, were conducted in a โcredibleโ manner, the African Unionโs election observer mission said on Wednesday.
โOverall the election and election day processes were conducted in an orderly, peaceful and credible manner,โ former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the head of the mission of 100 observers, told a news conference in Addis Ababa as authorities continued counting ballots.
The election in the country of 109 million people has been billed by the government as the first free vote in the countryโs history. But it has been marred by an opposition boycott, war and reports of irregularities in some areas.
Authorities were unable to hold elections in four of Ethiopiaโs 10 regions on Monday, though polling took place a day late in one of those regions, Sidama, on Tuesday, according to the elections board.
The board was expected to hold a news conference later on Wednesday.
