The Court of Audit called on candidates in the 1st round of the 2023 local elections to submit their financial statements for these elections before March 8, 2024. The Court of Audit said in a press release on Thursday that this reminder is intended for all candidates in the first round, held on December 24, 2023, including those who had won seats on local councils. The Court warned in this regard, that candidates who fail to file the required financial documents by the deadline are liable to the penalties provided for in Article 98 of Organic Law 2017-16. Article 98 (new) provides that "if the financial statement of a list, candidate or party is not filed in accordance with the procedures and within the deadlines set out in article 86 of this law, the Court of Audit shall impose a fine equal to three times the maximum amount of electoral funding in the relevant constituency." The candidate's financial statement includes the bank statement of the single account opened for the election campaign and a list of election expenses signed by the candidate and the financial agent. This list must be drawn up in compliance with the model made available to candidates by the Court of Audit, states the press release. The Court also asks candidates to submit a detailed list of activities and meetings organised during the local election campaign. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse The Blue Nile (Abay) Basin and the Red Sea should be Ethiopia's central focus areas as they are crucial to its development and regional cooperation, Foreign Affairs Institute Executive Director Jafar Bedru said. A book authored by the Institute of Foreign Affairs, Walta Media and Communication Corporate, and Abrehot Library, under the title, 'Yehulet Wehawotch Abiy Strtaegy' (The Strategy of Two Waters) was launched today. Speaking during the launching ceremony, Foreign Affairs Institute Executive Director Jafar Bedru said Ethiopia's strategic focus should be on the Blue Nile Basin and the Red Sea. Highlighting the historical correlation between Ethiopia's achievements and its proximity to water resources, he stressed the need to focus on these water resources and harness them for national development and regional cooperation. The book ' discusses the Abay basin and the Red Sea region. And based on studies of history, economics, law and geopolitics, we have reached the conclusion that these water bodies should be the center of our focus. Water is becoming a valuable resource more than ever,' the executive director pointed out. As part of strategy, the book envisions building infrastructure connecting countries in the region so that they could be a catalyst for shifting the region away from a cycle of conflict and towards a future of development and integration. This book's insights are particularly relevant in the current Ethiopian context, where water projects are being undertaken successfully and a MoU has been signed with Somaliland to access the sea. The 150-page in the Amharic language offers a fresh perspective, urging Ethiopia to broaden its strategic focus towards a comprehensive water resource utilization and Red Sea-centric development approach that benefits the country and the entire region. Source: Ethiopian News Agency