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Monday, April 16, 2012

CIVIC AND VOTER EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRATIC ELECTION



The mere concept of democracy implies that it is a system wherein members of the society come together to discuss on solutions to a common benefit or threat allowing each participant to have equal role and the minority accepts the resolution of the majority before moving to practice. The process ensures the consideration of minority views, respecting of majority vote and equality of votes.
Election is the main feature of a democratic system. Election is one and the main features of sovereignty for the existence of popular constitutional system that ensures the protection of human and democratic rights. This is because the people are the source of governmental power and the government is accountable to the public. As a result, the public needs to have developed civic knowledge and skill for discharging this huge national duty.
Upon taking over office on June 26, 2007, the current National Electoral Board of Ethiopia identified the problems in the office and set forth the means of addressing those issues. One of the identified problems is the way of providing voters and civic education. To address this problem, the Board prepared voters and civic education manual after a process of two years in collaboration with stakeholders. This teaching manual has already been accepted for implementation after the approval of the Board.
 To discharge its huge national duty of conducting elections, the Board employed different mechanisms during the past four national and domestic elections to enable voters make informed decisions through voters and civics education throughout the country. In this effort of developing the civics knowledge and skill of the public, the voters have been making more informed decisions during the subsequent elections.
In order to maximize this civic knowledge of the public, the Board has prepared voters and civic education manual having national scope and consistent content and strategies. This teaching manual was used during the 2010 election and showed remarkable results. It has been further developed in this year with consultation and discussion of stakeholders and has been approved by the Board as manual. The teaching manual is now being translated in the working and learning languages of the regions. This manual will help all citizens to develop their civic knowledge and skill and make informed and objective decisions during voting.
The Board has been using different mechanisms to allow access to this manual to the entire public. In this regard, progress has been made in using national and regional mass media radios to broadcast the education through different languages. In this respect, the Board has finalized its preparations to conclude a one year long contractual agreement with Amhara Region Mass Media, Oromia Region Mass Media, Somali Region Mass Media, Addis Ababa Mass Media, South Region Mass Media, Fana Broadcast Corporate and Tigray Demtse Woyane Radio to broadcast the education in different languages.
The education shall be broadcasted twice a week for two consecutive days within a year and the Board is already prepared to train members of the selected mass media on how to broadcast the program in attractive and interesting manner. After this training, it is expected that voters and civic education will be offered permanently in all regions.
Civic education develops the understanding and knowledge of citizens about government, democratic system, public power, human and democratic rights, social and constitutional rights and duties, domestic development, natural resource, poverty reduction, etc…
The education enables citizens to make informed choices and contributes for building democratic system, registering social and economic growth, prevalence of good governance and eradicate bad practices and address any current problems in a civilized manner whereby ensuring sustainable development.
In this regard, every citizen should be civically developed and the voters and civics education plays important role in this regard by inspiring citizens to rise for social growth, increase their social participation, respect and cause the respect of rights and duties, develop the values of transparency and tolerance for the flourishing of the democratic system.
Civic education is important in this area. In this regard, all citizens need to learn the political condition of the country, legally provided rights and duties, social and economic interactions of the society, social problems and solutions and contribute their part for building a democratic system.
Cognizant of this fact, the Board is now moving to intensify the civics and voters education so that the entire peoples of Ethiopia develop their civic knowledge and skill and play active role in the democratization process of their country and this is an indication of the importance of the issue.
Voters’ education is mainly offered to voters so that they could be well prepared before the election and make informed choices. The education teaches citizens of 18 years and above qualified for voting about the meaning and importance of election, system and procedure of election, stages of election process, registration of voters and voting process, etc…
Though the voters’ education is offered during election time, it is very crucial to provide continuous awareness development teachings so as to develop the civic knowledge and skill of the public until the next election.  The Board is therefore, based on this concept that it embarked on launching civil knowledge and skill development education throughout the country. Hence, the provision of voters’ and civics education in the country contributes highly for the process of democratization and enables the voters to make informed choices without any interference, fear, pressure or inducement. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

KNOW MORE ABOUT ETHIOPIA ELECTION


Voters participation of the 2011 By- election 

        Region /Administration
Registered Voters
Ballot Casters              
Non Casters
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
Addis Ababa
363,104
336,879
699,983
283,756
243,453
527,209
79,348
93,426
172,774
Oromia
6,021
6,994
13,015
5,937
6,851
12,788
84
143
227
South Nations Nationalities and People
31,245
36,092
67,337
28,595
33,347
61,942
2,650
2,745
5,395
         Total
400,370
379,965
780,335
318,288
283,651
601,939
82,082
96,314
78,396



The Result of the 2011 By- Election    
       
Council Name
Addis Ababa City Administration           
Oromia Region                  
S/N/N/P Region
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
City Admn.
3
9
12
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sub City
205
661
866
-
-
-
-
-
-
Zone
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
8
10
Woreda
3,825
6,301
10,126
3
9
12
20
91
111
Kebele
-
-
-
85
1,115
1,200
1,001
8,029
9,030
Winner Political Party
The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary    Democratic Front (EPRDF)                                                                                                       
Oromo People           Democratic Organization  (OPDO)                                             
South Ethiopia People Democratic Movement
(SEPDM)



TOTAL DATA OF THE 2010 GENERAL ELECTION
Number of Competing Political Parties and Private candidates in the 2010 General Election.

                       No
Competing Candidates
House of Peoples’ Representative            
Regional Council
Number of Political parties
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
1
Political Party
272
1,916
2,188
725
4,021
4,746

63
2
Private
1
33
34
2
9
11
Total
273
1,949
2,222
727
4,030
4,757
                      Total candidates who competed for both councils.
v  Female = 1,000 (14.3%)
v  Male = 5,979 (85.7 %)
v  Total = 6,979

Participation of the public in the 2010 General Election.          
                                                                                                
No
Participation
Public Participation in Number        
Public Participation in Percentile
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
1
Registered
15,252,240
16,674,280
31,926,520
47.8
52.2
100
2
Ballot Casters
14,214,737
15,617,453
29,832,190
93.19
93.66
93.4
3
Non-Casters
1,037,503
1,056,827
2,094,330
6.8
6.34
6.6



A summary of final results of the 2010 General Election
To the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR)

No.
Winner Party
Results Obtained
1
The Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
    499
2
The Somali People’s Democratic Party (SPDP)
       24
3
The Benishangul Gumuz Peoples Democratic Party (BGPDP)
         9
4
The Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP)
         8
5
The Gambela People’s Unity Democratic Movement (GPUDM)
         3
6
The Harari National League (HNL)
         1
7
The Argoba People Democratic Organization (APDO)
         1
8
The Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (Medrek)
         1
9
Independent
         1
Total number of seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives
     547

  To Regional State Councils (RSC)

No.
Regional State
No. seats
Winner Party
Results Obtained
1
Tigray
152
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF-EPRDF)
152
2
Afar
96
The Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP)
93
The Argoba People’s Democratic Organization (APDO)
3
3
Amhara
294
The Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM-EPRDF)
294
4
Oromia
537
The Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO/EPRDF)
537
5
Somali
186
The Somali People’s Democratic Party (SPDP)
186
6
Benishangul Gumuz
99
The Benishangul Gumuz Peoples Democratic Party (BGPDP)
98

The All Ethiopian Unity Organization (AEUO)
1
7
SNNP
348
The Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM-EPRDF )
348
8
Gambella
156
The Gambela People’s Unity Democratic Movement (GPUDM)
156
9
Harari
36
The Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO/EPRDF)
18
The Harari National League (HNL)
18
Total number of seats in the 9 Regional States
1,904