Polling stations have officially opened across Ethiopia today as millions of citizens head to the ballot boxes for the historic 7th General Election.

Polling stations across the country commenced operations in accordance with established electoral procedures, under the observation of both continental and domestic monitoring teams.

More than 54 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots throughout the day, beginning at dawn on Monday, to elect a government that will serve a five-year term.

Vying for seats in the 7th Ethiopian Parliamentary and Regional Council seats are 42 political parties that canvassed a total of 10,438 candidates, in addition to 80 others vying independently.

Voting will be conducted at 52,000 polling stations set up across the country.

Some 359,000 election officials have been trained and deployed to all the constituencies and polling stations for the high-stake election.

This huge moment of democratic exercise will be monitored by the African Union Election Observation Mission as well as by that of the IGAD. The AU deployed 59 observers and IGAD 26.

According to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, 68 media institutions including 12 international media houses, have been accredited to cover the election.

The number of parliamentary seats remains unchanged at 547, but as 38 constituencies in Tigray and eight in Amhara remain will not be participating, the real number of federal seats up for grabs stands at 501.

From the capital city, Addis Ababa, to the furthest regional constituencies, long queues of eager voters began forming before dawn.

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEB) confirmed that logistical operations and security deployments were successfully executed overnight, ensuring a peaceful and orderly start to the voting process.

To understand the sheer magnitude of today’s vote, this election stands as one of the largest democratic exercises in African history.

The election is unfolding on an unprecedented scale. More than 54 million citizens have registered to vote, marking one of the largest voter mobilizations in the country’s history and reflecting strong civic participation, particularly among women and first-time young voters.

The political arena is equally expansive, with 42 political parties competing and offering voters a wide range of political choices. Adding to the scale of the contest, thousands of candidates from both political parties and independent backgrounds are vying for national and regional legislative seats, underscoring the breadth and competitiveness of the electoral process.

A massive network of voting centers set up across urban, rural, and remote areas to ensure maximum accessibility for every citizen.

Thousands of monitors—led by robust missions from the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and local civil society organizations—are deployed on the ground to guarantee transparency and credibility.

As the day unfolds, the live broadcast on Pulse of Africa will continue to bring real-time field updates, human-centered stories of elderly and disabled voters, and exclusive interviews with key stakeholders.