Ethiopia’s parliament on Monday postponed a national census for a second time, citing security concerns, but potentially undermining logistics for the first election under reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Ethiopia is due to hold a national vote sometime in 2020 and the census already postponed once from 2017, is a crucial step toward demarcating constituencies.
According to United Nations figures, parliamentarians in both houses voted overwhelmingly to delay the census again by a year, due to an upsurge in ethnic conflicts that has forced 2.4 million Ethiopians out of their homes.
“Our people are still displaced in many parts of the country. Having this situation, I don’t think it wise to conduct the census this year,” lawmaker Tesfaye Daba said during a parliamentary debate.
An analyst at the International Crisis Group, William Davison, said the decision would disrupt election logistics.
“Preparations for those polls are also behind schedule; this is therefore perhaps another indication that elections will be pushed back,” Davison said.
The next vote will test Abiy’s reformist agenda that has included ending hostilities with Eritrea, opening the economy to foreign investment, and freeing political prisoners.
Parliament also postponed to Thursday, debate on a proposed law to liberalize the telecoms sector.
