Addis Ababa, May 9 (IANS) The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said that it has registered 31,724,947 voters for the upcoming sixth general elections.

In a statement on Saturday, the NEBE said the number includes about 1.2 million prospective voters in the country's capital Addis Ababa, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Friday, the NEBE announced it extended voter registration for the June 5 elections by one week until May 14.

The Electoral Board had previously extended the voter registration deadline by two weeks citing logistical and security challenges

It had also extended voters' registration in some areas of Ethiopia's Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz and Amhara regional states up to May 21.

Registered voters will cast votes for candidates vying for federal parliamentary seats, as well as regional councils' seats.

These elections were initially scheduled for August 29, 2020, but were delayed, supposedly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Regional and municipal council elections were also planned to be held at the same time around the country.

In May 2020, the sitting House of Representatives voted to postpone the election until 2021.

--IANS ksk/