NEBE Expands Free Media Airtime for Political Parties Ahead of 7th National Election
The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), in collaboration with the Ethiopian Media Authority, has announced expanded free media airtime for political parties ahead of the country’s 7th national election.
The announcement was made during a briefing held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, where officials outlined the allocation of free media access across radio, television, and print outlets nationwide.
According to NEBE, political parties will receive a total of 782.5 hours of radio airtime, 513.45 hours of television airtime, and 576 newspaper columns. These allocations will be distributed across 50 media outlets throughout the country. Officials said the new allocation represents a 10 percent increase compared to the 6th national election.
Of the 50 media outlets, 24 are radio stations, evenly split between state-owned and private broadcasters. Twenty are television stations, including 12 government-owned and 8 privately operated channels. The remaining six outlets are newspapers, all of which are state-owned.
NEBE stated that the airtime distribution follows a structured formula designed to ensure fairness and inclusivity. Forty percent of the airtime will be shared equally among all participating political parties. Twenty five percent will be allocated based on the number of candidates fielded by each party. Fifteen percent will be distributed according to the number of candidates with disabilities, another fifteen percent based on the number of women candidates, and the remaining five percent will be allocated to women candidates with disabilities.
Haimanot Zeleke, Director General of the Ethiopian Media Authority, said the initiative aims to strengthen equitable access to voters and encourage inclusive political participation through public media platforms.
Officials also acknowledged that a significant portion of allocated airtime went unused during the 6th national election. Data presented at the briefing showed that political parties used only 376.83 hours out of 711 hours of radio airtime, leaving 46.8 percent unused. On television, parties used 335.34 hours out of 558.9 hours, leaving approximately 40 percent unused.
Learning from this experience, NEBE and the Ethiopian Media Authority said they are working closely with media institutions and political parties to ensure more effective utilization during the upcoming election period.
Media outlets are also expanding multilingual broadcasts to reach Ethiopia’s diverse population. Officials noted that programming will be aired in the languages of various Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples. For instance, Ethiopian Television broadcast political programming in Somali language on Sunday, targeting audiences in the Somali Regional State and enabling parties operating in the region to communicate more effectively with voters.
The free airtime allocation for the 7th national election will run from April 1, 2026, to May 27, 2026. The 40 day schedule excludes weekends and public holidays.
NEBE officials said the expanded airtime and multilingual approach are intended to improve voter access to information, strengthen political competition, and support a more inclusive electoral process across Ethiopia.
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