The main issue for Ethiopians as they vote is security and peace, the BBC’s Kalkidan Yibeltal – who is in Addis Ababa – has told the Newsday programme.
“Even prior to the conflict in Tigray, there have been more than two million people displaced by ethnic clashes in multiple areas across the country,” Kalkidan says.
“So the main issue for many voters is security and peace and the apparent inability for people from different groups to live together,” he adds.
There are also questions of how representative the elections will be.
“One of the main issue that has been raised is the absence of credible opposition in Oromia where the prime minister runs,” he says.
thiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has promised a peaceful election.
During his tenure he signed a peace deal with Eritrea, ending a 20-year stalemate and reopened the common border.
Mr Abiy toured the country and spoke about uniting the multi-ethnic country.
He devised a new political philosophy – medemer – aimed at fostering a sense of national unity in the face of ethnic divisions.
