Addis Ababa, Mar 12 (IANS): More than 8,200 candidates have registered for the upcoming sixth Ethiopia general elections, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced.

The NEBE disclosed on Thursday that 8,209 candidates and 47 political parties have registered to participate in the upcoming elections which is scheduled to be held in less than three-months' time, Xinhua news agency reported.

Out of the 8,209 candidates, 125 are standing as independent candidates, with the rest standing as representatives of various political parties.

Ethiopia was initially slated to hold its sixth general elections on August 29, 2020.

However, the House of Federation (HOF), the country's upper house of Parliament, approved a recommendation in June 2020 to postpone the national elections citing the health threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In December 2020, The NEBE tentatively set June 5, 2021 as the date for the sixth general elections.