The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia announced Wednesday that a total of more than 29.9 million voters have been registered. The board also published a code of conduct for international elections monitors.
The board's deputy director, Ermias Assefa, told the Ethiopian News Agency that 45 political parties have fielded 1,401 candidates for parliamentary seats and 2,952 nominees for regional councils.
The European Union recently announced plans to participate in monitoring of the May 23 national parliamentary elections. In the 2005 elections, deep differences emerged between the Ethiopian government and international observers, notably those from the European Union.
