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The African Union Election Monitoring Mission (AUEOM) has officially entered Ethiopia to monitor the upcoming national elections set for June 1, 2026.

The top-level mission, established at the official request of the Ethiopian Government, is headed by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

As per a statement released by the African Union, the mission includes 73 Short-Term Observers from 37 African nations, with women making up 61 percent of the group.

The observation team comprises ambassadors accredited with the African Union, election management officials, representatives from civil society, election specialists, human rights experts, gender and media professionals, along with youth delegates.

The observers will be stationed in various parts of Ethiopia to oversee critical election-day operations, such as the commencement of polling stations, voting processes, vote tallying, and the compilation of outcomes.

The AUEOM mentioned that its evaluation will be based on Ethiopia’s legal system related to elections, the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles of Democratic Elections in Africa, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (ACDEG), along with other regional and international benchmarks for democratic elections.

Throughout its mission, the AU delegation is also anticipated to interact with governmental bodies, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), political groups, candidates, civil society groups, media personnel, members of the diplomatic community, and other election monitoring teams active within the nation.

The task is set to issue an initial report on its findings and evaluation of the voting procedure at a media briefing in Addis Ababa on June 3, 2026.

As per the African Union, a complete and final report detailing the mission’s conclusions and suggestions will be released within two months following the elections.