Ethiopia: Nebe Proposes Ban On Direct Salary Deductions for Party Fees in Electoral Law Amendment

Addis Abeba — The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has proposed an amendment to the Ethiopian Electoral, Political Parties Registration, and Election’s Code of Conduct Proclamation, introducing a provision that would prohibit government institutions from “directly” deducting political party membership fees from employees’ salaries.

The draft, which has been under discussion with various stakeholders since January, aims to replace the current Proclamation No. 1162/2019, which has been in effect since 2019.

According to the draft proclamation, institutions cannot “directly deduct membership fees from the salary of a government employee who is a party member and deposit it into the political party’s bank account.” NEBE’s proposal follows concerns raised by government employees about deductions being made without their consent.

The draft also imposes restrictions on political party candidates, stating that they “cannot personally receive gifts or assistance from any person,” specifying that such contributions must be received “through the party.” It further requires candidates to notify the Election Board “within 48 hours of the act being committed or becoming aware of it” and to transfer any received contributions to their political party.

The amendment addresses election timing, stating that general elections for the House of Peoples’ Representatives and regional councils shall be held “simultaneously throughout the country” every five years. However, it notes that there could be situations where conducting elections at the same time in all regions is “not possible.” The draft lists conditions that could lead to staggered elections, including “security problems, pandemics, and natural disasters,” and states that in such cases, NEBE can, “in consultation with the House of Peoples’ Representatives, arrange for elections to be held at different times.”

NEBE has previously conducted elections at different times in some regions due to security concerns, an issue referenced in the amendment. The draft states that if an election is postponed after candidates and voters have registered and is not held within six months, “candidate and voter registration shall be conducted anew.” It also specifies that postponed elections will not be conducted if “the remaining term of a council is one year or less.”

Another amendment introduced in the draft concerns gender representation in political parties. The existing law states that elections for party leadership positions should “consider gender composition.” The new draft replaces this provision with a numerical requirement, stating that “at least 30 percent of the political party’s officials will be women.” It also includes similar requirements for candidate nominations, mandating that “at least 20 percent” of a party’s candidates must be women. The draft states that a political party that submits a candidate list without meeting this requirement must “revise and resubmit within days determined by the Board during the candidate registration period.”

The draft also modifies requirements for registering national political parties. The current proclamation requires founding members to come from five regions, but the amendment increases this to seven. It also extends the temporary registration permit for forming parties from three months to six, with an option for a three-month extension. However, it restricts founding members of a party with a temporary permit from “giving press statements, conducting election campaigns, or carrying out similar activities.”

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Previously, NEBE announced that it had engaged in discussions with political party leaders regarding amendments to Proclamation No. 1162/2019, which governs political party registration and electoral conduct. Melatework Hailu, Chairperson of NEBE, stated that the board is working to ensure electoral regulations are inclusive and supportive of a proportional party system, according to state media.

“Work is underway to develop a more suitable framework for a multiparty system,” she explained, adding that the amendments aim to make the board “more independent, impartial, fair, and credible.” She also noted that NEBE is implementing technology-assisted procedures aligned with international standards, stating that these measures are expected to “promote transparency in the electoral board’s operational processes.”

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