Ethiopia urges election observers to be neutral

Ethiopia's Ministry of Information on Friday urged election observers to be neutral and follow the conduct of the May 15 national elections in an accountable and transparent manner.

In a weekly statement, the ministry said it is mandatory for the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to effectively monitor the consistency of the observer's activities that should comply with the code of conduct and regulations pertaining to their status as observers.

The ministry said the on-going efforts to make the upcoming national elections free and truly democratic is gathering momentum as favorable conditions are provided for all contesting political parties and independent candidates.

It called on local and foreign observers and the public at large to engage in the process actively and to observe the conduct of the elections truthfully and without bias for or against anyone.

NEBE said over 25.6 million voters Tuesday have registered to cast their votes in the upcoming national elections.

The national elections will be only the third democratic ballot in Ethiopia, the only African country that had not been colonized.

The previous elections have been convincingly won by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.