Formal start of election campaign announced

The National Electoral Board on Monday announced that eligible candidates for the House of People’s Representatives and state councils in the national elections, due on 14 May, could formally begin their campaigns. The electoral board said political hopefuls who had obtained candidacy ID cards had the right to introduce themselves and their objectives “by organising public meetings, distributing leaflets, through advertisements and through other campaigning in a democratic manner,” Radio Ethiopia reported. All candidates had the right to make use of the state mass media without charge, and “pertinent bodies” should allow candidates to use appropriate venues for campaigning, it added. However, the law prohibited campaigning in military camps, mosques, churches and academic institutions, as well as in government and public institutions during working hours, the report added. The ‘Addis Tribune’ reported that the Ethio-Eritrean war dominates the election agenda, with the economy, employment, social services, corruption, equal opportunity and national divisions also among the issues.