Ethiopian ruling party wins national election in landslides | Abiy Ahmed News

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party won 410 of the 436 seats in the federal parliament, the election body says.

The Ethiopian government’s Prosperity Party has been named the winner of last month’s national election in a landslide, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed guaranteed a second five-year term.

It was the first time Abiy had faced voters in the June 21 election since he was appointed prime minister in 2018 after several years of anti-government protests.

In a note posted on Twitter on Saturday, Abiy said the elections are historically inclusive, adding: “Our party is also happy that the will of the people has chosen it to administer the country.”

The interrogation took place in the midst of a fierce conflict in the Tigray region, which damaged Abiy’s global reputation and sparked fears of widespread famine.

The Ethiopian National Electoral Board reported on Saturday that the ruling party had won 410 seats in the 436 federal parliament where the election was held. Some seats will be left vacant because in some areas no voting has taken place due to unrest or logistical reasons.

The official results showed that opposition parties and independent candidates won a small number of seats.

Even a small opposition delegation in parliament could deny future instability, said Addisu Lashitew of the Brookings Institution in Washington.

“People, especially young people, need to be heard, so they should have a voice in the political process,” Addisu said.

“Although they may not always be successful in influencing political decisions, it is important to listen to them.”

The inclusion of opposition voices in formal political processes means that they are less likely to “radicalize” or encourage a large-scale protest movement.

Abiyren test

The vote was a testament to Abiy, who came to power in April 2018 after the prime minister resigned amid widespread protests.

Abiy oversaw dramatic political reforms, but critics say he is backtracking on some promises of political and media freedom.

He has also been widely criticized internationally for leaving thousands of people dead in the Tigray region conflict.

June’s vote, which was twice delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistics problems, was largely peaceful, but opposition parties denounced the harassment and intimidation.

Abiy called the election a first attempt at a free and fair vote in favor of nations, but the United States said it was a “significant mistake” due to the arrest and insecurity of some opposition people and the arrest in some of Africa’s second most populous countries.

Birhanu Nega, the leader of the opposition Ethiopian People’s Party, lost the head of the Social Justice party while the opposition parties had only 11 seats.

The Ethiopian People’s Party for Social Justice has filed 207 complaints with the electoral body over the vote.

Popular parties in the Oromia region, the largest of the federal states in Ethiopia, boycotted the election. It was presented only by the ruling party in dozens of constituencies.

“Credible Elections”

Birtukan Mideksa, head of the polling station, said in a statement Saturday that the vote was held at a time when Ethiopia was facing challenges, “but this voting process has ensured that people will be governed by their votes.”

He added: “I want to reaffirm that we have managed to hold credible elections.”

Voters had more than 90 percent of the more than 37 million people who registered to vote.

The Prosperity Party was formed after the dissolution of Ethiopia’s first governing coalition, dominated by politicians in Tigray.

Disagreements over the decision signaled the first tensions between Abiy and Tigray leaders, which eventually led to conflict in the region in November.

Although Abiy stated that in 2018 Ethiopia would limit the terms of a prime minister to two, it is not clear whether he will act in that way.