The Rift Valley Institute published in March 2023 a paper titled "Referendum in Ethiopia's Southern Region" by Chalachew Tadesse.
Six zones and 5 special woredas in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR) held a referendum to determine whether they will form a separate autonomous state or remain within the SNNPR. The National Electoral Board declared all but one (Wolayta Zone) of the areas voted overwhelmingly in favor of separate statehood.
