"This is before all the registration documents were submitted," Mohammed Abddurahman, head of Public Relations Department of the Electoral Board said. "We expect the number to grow to 30 million after we receive all the documents."
He expressed optimism that the expected number of voters would prove to have been met.
The board also ended the registration period with 57 parties, which, together, have fielded 2,113 candidates for the House of People's Representatives and 4,482 candidates for state councils. There are also 33 independent candidates for the House of People's Representatives and 10 for state councils.
The incumbent Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the coalition of opposition parties, the Forum for Federal and Democratic Dialogue (FFDD) are almost neck and neck in the number of candidates they have registered. The EPRDF has 460 candidates for the Federal Parliament to the FFDD's 396. For regional councils, they have fielded 1,275 and 909 candidates, respectively.
FFDD is the new name for Forum for Justice and Democratic Dialogue. The All Ethiopian Unit Party (AEUP) has 295 federal and 637 regional candidates. The Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) has 231 and 257, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) 143 and 154, and the Ethiopia Vision Party (EVP) 67 and 122, respectively.
The breakdown of the EPRDF figures give 136 and 288 for the All Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), 123 and 336 for the Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM), and 38 and 152 for the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).
The final figures will be available this week, according to Mohammed, and the numbers will show some change then. The party and independent candidates are now in the middle of the election campaign for the final showdown on May 23, 2010.
Other Headlinens
: Pastoralism Against the Odds
: Proper Treatment of Migrants Urged After Reported Deaths in Saudi Arabia
: Refugees Embrace Life 'Out of Camps'
: Ethiopian Troops Launch Incursion Against Militants
: Polaris, MFI Team Up to Modernise Ethiopian Finance
: Firms Amend Bids On Habesha Cement Plant
: Hawassa Continues Rapid Expansion With New Budget
: Adama Plans to Implement New Water Meters
: Women's Network to Collect 39m Br for New Building
: Copyright Case Lands Inventor in Prison
: EIC's 1.5b Br in Claims May Force Changes
: Lion Bank Elects Fresh Board
: Sululta Earmarks 84,609sqm for Reclaim
: Duking It out with Dancing, Doggerels at Duka Azmari Bet
: Second Year Profits Surprise Oromia Int'l Bank
: Court Grants Askallukan Plaintiffs 10.6m Br
: Court - Natenael PLC to Stitch Up Default Due Hawassa Textile
: Airport Customs Branch Asks for More From Importers
: Education Ministry Bans Distance Learning
: U.S. Citizen Gets 14 Months for Attempted Smuggling
