Ethiopian authorities said on Saturday that people in southwestern Ethiopia will cast their ballots in favour of breaking away into a separate regional state within the Horn of the African country in a referendum last month.
The recent Southwestern Ethiopia referendum result is showing the Southwestern Ethiopia is to be the 11th regional state in Ethiopia. NEBE confirms 1.2 million people votes to form new state. NEBE is ready to send the final result to House of Federation. pic.twitter.com/AhmrAg3CI2
— Habtamu Ashagrie (@hableulmarcon) October 10, 2021
Following the result of the vote, released by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, lawmakers in parliament's upper chamber, the House of the Federation, will decide if the country's 11th regional state will be carved out of the Southern Ethiopia Nations, Nationalities and Peoples regional state.
The referendum had been conducted in the Dawro special district, as well as the Bench Sheka, South Omo, Kafa, and Sheko zones, with the election board saying it would submit the result to the House of the Federation for a final decision on the status of the region.
A year ago, the Sidama people voted in favour of a separate regional state government and have since become the 10th regional state in the country.
#Ethiopia is to create a new regional state called South West after a referendum on statehood passed in a landslide. It's the second new state to be created since @AbiyAhmedAli came to power and three more zonal councils are waiting to hold referendums. https://t.co/yaBhGiCM9I
— Mark Anderson (@markc_anderson) October 10, 2021
In the most recent referendum held on Sept. 30, 1.2 million voters voted in favour of a separate State while 34,000 voters against it.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
