The African Union’s Long-Term Election Observation Mission on Thursday called for stepped-up efforts to empower Ethiopian women on the political level.

Until July of 2014, women had accounted for around 43.7 million of Ethiopia’s total population of 87.9 million, according to the state-run Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency.

Nevertheless, the agency said, these women continued to live in patriarchal and poor communities.

It added that more than 17.8 million of the country’s 36.8 million registered voters were women.

Some people say Ethiopian women are subject to violence and exclusion, despite government efforts to redress the trend.