An Ethiopian election observer group focused on women’s political participation has reported incidents of sexual harassment, intimidation and other obstacles affecting women voters during the country’s recently concluded 7th General Election.
The findings were reported by TIMRAN, a women-led civil society organisation that deployed 50 observers to 46 polling stations across six Ethiopian regions and city administrations during the Monday vote.
In a statement on Friday, the group said it recorded 13 incidents requiring further assessment under its violence against women in elections monitoring framework.
According to the group, the incidents ranged from sexual harassment and psychological violence to threats against women voters and disruptions to polling activities.
It also cited cases of inappropriate voter assistance that may have compromised ballot secrecy and said some women with disabilities encountered difficulties accessing polling stations.
In addition to reported incidents of abuse and intimidation, TIMRAN reported broader structural and logistical barriers, including long queues at polling stations, difficulties for some voters in locating their names on registers and accessibility constraints that affected a portion of women voters.
TIMRAN also cited an incident in which observers were reportedly prevented from monitoring the counting process.
“Challenges affecting women voters included long queues, accessibility barriers for some women with disabilities (12.8 per cent), difficulties locating names on voter registers (8.9 per cent), and isolated cases of inappropriate voter assistance practices (8.5 per cent) that may have compromised ballot secrecy,” the group said.
“Procedural issues were also observed, including delays in opening, temporary interruptions related to crowd management, and operational delays associated with election material management.”
Despite those challenges, the observer mission said polling was generally conducted in an orderly manner, an observation shared by regional bodies including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
According to TIMRAN, election preparations were largely in place before voting began, with most polling stations opening with required materials already available. The group also highlighted that many polling stations made priority arrangements for elderly women, pregnant voters and mothers with young children, alongside other groups requiring assistance.
TIMRAN similarly noted active participation by women throughout the electoral process. Women were present not only as voters, but also as election officials and polling station personnel. In several stations observed, women also held leadership roles, including chairing polling station teams.
According to the group, the findings point to both progress and continuing challenges in ensuring safe and inclusive electoral participation for women in Ethiopia. It subsequently urged strengthened measures to prevent intimidation, improve accessibility for women voters and ensure consistent application of electoral procedures that protect voter rights and ballot secrecy.
“The electoral process remains ongoing and that the election cannot be considered concluded until the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) completes the tabulation process and officially announces the final results,” the group said.
“As such, the findings presented in this preliminary statement are subject to further verification and analysis.”
Vote counting is currently underway in Ethiopia following the polls, with results from polling stations now being transferred to constituency centres for verification and aggregation ahead of the national tally and the eventual announcement of official results.
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