FALSE: Ballot papers were not distributed in Jimma, Ethiopia before election day
A tweet claiming to show ballot papers that have been distributed to members of the public in Jimma, Ethiopia before election day is FALSE.
“This is a voting ballot that is supposed to be given to voters when they come to cast their vote on the day of voting. However, this voting ballet [sic] has been distributed all over Jimma for the public on the streets before Election Day. @NEBEthiopia needs to give response [sic],” reads the tweet.
The post is accompanied by three ballot papers that bear the names of Prosperity Party’s candidates and the party’s electoral symbol.
There have been a number of reports of pre-election fraud originating from various regions such as the Oromia and Somali regions.
In a joint statement which was released on June 12, 2021, the Wolaita National Movement and Wolaita People Democratic Front claimed that members of the ruling party are issuing up to 90 voter registration cards for an individual, taking voters’ identification cards in the name of unidentified persons, issuing voter identification cards to their supporters and withholding them from opposition party supporters and harassing and arresting members of the two parties.
On 6 May, 2021, OMN News, an organisation that reports issues affecting the Oromo people and the Oromia region, reported that individuals are requested to show their voter’s card in order to buy goods from shops and that voters’ cards are being distributed illegally in the region.
Four political parties and private candidates issued a joint statement saying they will not run in the Somali region until the problems related to election fraud are solved.
In addition, seven national and regional opposition parties have complained about the electoral process in a joint statement issued on June 13, 2021.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) admitted some of the irregularities and ruled out voter registration in 79 polling stations in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People regions where stations had been opened without the knowledge of the electoral body.
Similarly, voting in Harar and Somali regions has been postponed to 6 September, 2021, owing to irregularities, security issues, and problems with the printing of ballot papers. In addition to Harar and Somali regions, there are other constituencies where elections will be held in the second-round on 6 September, 2021.
Even though there have been allegations of voter fraud reported in some parts of Ethiopia, the claim that ballot papers have been distributed to members of the public in Jimma before election day is untrue.
Soleyana Shimeles, the spokesperson of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, dismissed the claim as fake and posted images revealing what the real ballot papers will look like.
PesaCheck has looked into a tweet claiming to show ballot papers that have been distributed to members of the public in Jimma, Ethiopia before the election day and finds it to be FALSE.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
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This fact-check was written by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Kiya Ali and edited by PesaCheck copy editor Eden Berhane, and chief copy editor Rose Lukalo. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Enock Nyariki.
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