Ethiopia will postpone general elections that were scheduled for the end of August because of the coronavirus outbreak, the first African country to suspend a nationwide vote due to the pandemic.
Delays to the delivery of equipment and the amount of work that would need to be completed amid virus restrictions mean Africa’s second-most populous country won’t be able to vote at that time, the Ethiopian electoral board said Tuesday. A new schedule will be announced “after the risk of the virus has been resolved,” it said.
