The chairman of Ethiopia’s national election board says thousands of voters will be re-registered for upcoming parliamentary polls after the discovery of serious abuses.

Kemal Bedri said Monday that officials will re-register voters in 15 polling stations in Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar region and in three stations in Sidama in the south.

Mr. Bedri said the decision was made after investigators found underage voters and people who had multiple ballots.

Nearly 27-million people have registered to cast ballots in the May 15 parliamentary elections.

The election chief also said some 320 foreign observers are expected to monitor the poll. They include observers from the United States, African Union, European Union, and the Arab League.

Opposition parties have already accused the Ethiopian government of jailing, torturing, and even killing its members ahead of the vote.

This article uses material from VOA.