Elections

Many eligible Ethiopian voters headed to polls yesterday (21 June) to participate in the country’s first multi-party elections in 16 years. The elections are the incumbent prime minister Abiy Ahmed first democratic test. Elections in several constituencies, many of them in the Amhara and Oromia regions, are postponed until 6 September due to electoral irregularities. The dates for elections in the Tigray region are not yet scheduled. 

Armenia's parliamentary elections were properly conducted with only minor violations. But Nikol Pashinyan's landslide victory was somewhat surprising says Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed for commonspace.eu Pashinyan's victory means Armenia will continue implementing all written and oral agreements reached with Russia and Azerbaijan after the end of the 2020 Karabakh war, he adds.

The 20 June parliamentary elections in Armenia are the most competitive and inclusive in the country’s history with three former presidents challenging the rule of incumbent prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan. In a detailed analysis for commonspace.eu, Alexander Petrosyan looks at the main protagonists and what they stand for, and what is important to watch out for.

The prime minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, has said that the government wants a "peaceful, democratic" election and urged for unity ahead of the country's approaching election next week.