Ethiopian PM’s party secures landslide win in national election
Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party took almost 90 per cent of the seats in polls held on June 1. Abiy has led Ethiopia since 2018
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party (PP) won a landslide victory in legislative polls held June 1, the election commission said on Sunday, giving it almost 90 per cent of the seats.
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 Agence France-Presse tally after results were announced by the chairwoman of the National Elections Board (NEBE), Melatwork Hailu. The results account for roughly 90 per cent 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 143 polling stations did not open on election day due to security concerns, adding that voting was interrupted in several locations in Amhara and Oromia, without providing further details.