ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party (PP) won a landslide victory in legislative polls held June 1, the election commission said Sunday, giving it almost 90 percent of the seats.
Abiy has led Ethiopia since 2018, and is increasingly criticised for growing authoritarianism, in contrast to his early years when he won the Nobel Peace Prize for mending relations with neighbouring Eritrea.
The PP was considered the overwhelming favourite in the country of 130 million, facing a divided opposition that did not field candidates in many constituencies.
The ruling Prosperity Party secured 438 of the 486 seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, according to an AFP tally after results were announced by the chairperson of the National Elections Board (NEBE), Melatwork Hailu. The results account for roughly 90 percent of the contested seats.
Elections were held in 501 of the 547 constituencies in the country, with roughly 40 million people voting, NEBE said. A total of 54 million voters were registered.
The commission said that 143 polling stations did not open on election day due to security concerns, adding voting was interrupted in several locations in Amhara and Oromia, without providing further details.
While more than 40 parties ran against the PP, most lacked financial backing and the PP was unopposed in 64 constituencies.
The best-represented party, Ezema, fielded only 293 candidates compared to the PP’s 461.
Voters elect members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, who then choose the PM from among their members. That vote is expected sometime between end of September and October.
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