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Dressed in a sacred white cloth, the team quietly floated to a priest, calling for believers to celebrate the respected saint Archangel Michael in Ethiopia.
At dawn, thousands of believers gathered at the church in Amhara, Ethiopia’s second largest region, where the long-awaited elections will be held on Monday.
Believers — some bent over and on crutches, others holding children — prayed to St. Michael in a church named after him, with a metal cross and a towering Ethiopian flag on top.
Huluager Kinde, a 27-year-old believer, said: “This is a beautiful day for us… In our faith, we pray that Saint Michael will bring us peace and protect us from evil.”
When Ebabu Tsega left the church with a cross painted with ashes on his forehead, he said voting was “essential” for Ethiopia.
The 29-year-old elementary school teacher said: “I am very happy to vote because I want to elect those who lead me and represent me.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Abiy Ahmed) came to power in 2018 with the support of popular demonstrations against the government, and he promised to hold Ethiopia’s most competitive election to date.
Monday was his first electoral test since the prime minister began a series of democratic and economic reforms.
But many voters-including parts of Amhara-will have to wait until September to vote. Due to unrest and logistical issues, about one-fifth of Ethiopia’s electoral districts have postponed elections.
In the war-torn Tigray area adjacent to Amhara, no elections will be held at all.
Another believer in Bashir Dar Church, Gulilat Waku, wants voters to “peacefully accept” the results of Monday’s vote.
The 34-year-old doctoral student said: “We pray that every Ethiopian will participate in the election and accept the results of the election.”
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