During a joint meeting held on Monday, the Ethiopian Parliament and the House of Federation decided to postpone the national population census of Ethiopia by a year, reported Reuters.
Of the total 547 members of parliament, 30 opposed the proposal to extend the census while 3 abstained. Some members of the parliament have suggested that the census should be conducted after six months claiming that peace and stability in the country are improving. While others suggested that it has to be extended for more than one-year period.
It is recalled that the Ethiopian Parliament has passed a resolution to postpone the census even before the joint meeting.
The decision to postpone the census was made after taking into consideration the instability and displacement in some parts of the country and politicization of the census as part of ethnic politics going on in Ethiopia.
According to United Nations figures, due to an upsurge in ethnic conflicts around 2.4 million Ethiopians have been forced out of their homes until now.
“Our people are still displaced in many parts of the country,” said lawmaker Tesfaye Daba during a parliamentary debate. “Having this situation, I don’t think it wise to conduct the census this year.”
Notably, the Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia had finalized preparations to undertake the census a few months ago. But due to instabilities and internal displacements, the country was forced to abandon undertaking the census.
Ethiopia has undertaken national population census two times every ten years since 1994 and 2007, right from the time when the current regime came to power in May 1991. Estimates show that the total population of Ethiopia at the moment is around 100 million.
Ethiopia is due to hold polls sometime next year.
