Ethiopia

Ethiopia has emerged as a major power in the Horn of Africa. Despite the noteworthy progress and implications for future advancements, Ethiopia faces formidable challenges including post-conflict and reconstruction efforts in the Tigray region, increasing violence in two of the largest regions, Oromia and Amhara, long-standing ethnic tensions, and concerning threats from climate change. With the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and as part of the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), IFES supports the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to operate as a reliable, independent body to hold transparent and credible elections; and the judiciary to effectively adjudicate election complaints. IFES also partners with civil society and Ethiopian universities to engage and empower youth.

IFES has supported the development of free, fair and credible electoral processes in Ethiopia since 1994. Since 1995, with the introduction of multiparty elections, polling in Ethiopia has been marred by unfulfilled hopes, with a history of political parties facing significant barriers to participating in elections and a protracted and opaque results management process. After coming to power in 2018, the Abiy administration announced a series of sweeping political, electoral and diplomatic reforms, committed to holding free and fair, multiparty elections, and created space for civil society’s involvement in political and electoral processes. However, these past years reveal the difficulty in creating systematic change in a previously autocratic country, in particular a country with a complex history of ethnic tension. The upcoming 2026 general elections is a time to demonstrate how a credible election process with meaningful political competition is pivotal to Ethiopia’s continued democratic progression.

IFES’ support under the Ethiopia Elections and Political Processes Activity (EEPPA) (2024-2029) focuses on the capacity building of electoral institutions, specifically, NEBE’s headquarters in Addis Ababa and its regional branch offices through targeted technical assistance, as well as Ethiopia’s judiciary regarding electoral dispute resolution; and supporting young people as leaders in areas of peacebuilding, conflict resolution, dialogue, and civic engagement.