Ethiopia election keeps Prosperity Party parliamentary control

Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party won 438 of 501 seats in parliament after the June 1 election, a result officials say was delivered under strict neutrality even as major polling disruptions, unrest in Oromia and Amhara, and widespread criticism of intimidation and

By the time final results were released on Sunday, the outcome had already hardened into something many Ethiopians feared before they could fully cast their ballots: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party would keep a sweeping grip on the country’s next parliament.

The National Election Board of Ethiopia said the party won 438 seats out of 501 in the House of Representatives. The new parliament is expected to convene in October to reelect Abiy for another five-year term.

For many voters, the election day itself was already fractured. The election board said 143 polling stations failed to open in the Oromia and Amhara regions—areas where instability has been driven by armed conflict and government efforts to disarm rival groups.

In Amhara, the board pointed to fighting between the Fano armed group and the federal government as the main cause of instability. In Oromia, it cited the Oromo Liberation Army rebels as the central driver of insecurity as authorities moved to disarm the groups.

Turnout was reported at 94%. The election board said more than 50 million people—out of Ethiopia’s estimated population of 130 million—were registered to vote.

But the country’s eastern and northern wounds ran deeper than missed polling stations. The Tigray region was excluded from the election. again denying it a voice in parliament and further pushing it to the margins. The region has not had federal representation for six years. For people still living with the consequences of a war that killed hundreds of thousands between federal forces and regional groups. the exclusion landed as another blow to the promise that representation could return.

The election board chairperson, Melatwork Hailu, said Sunday that the board maintained “institutional neutrality and performed its duties solely in accordance with the law and electoral guidelines, without interference.”

Observers from regional organizations were also present, including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Their missions, the board said, were confined mostly to Addis Ababa, and they were criticized for not deploying more personnel across the country.

Opposition leaders and election participants rejected the idea that the vote reflected a fair contest. Most of the ruling party’s opponents were prevented from participating, while the election’s most prominent critics were imprisoned, in exile, or had disappeared.

Yitayal Assefa, who ran under the opposition banner of the All Ethiopia Unity Party and lost, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he felt the government had an overwhelming advantage and that opposition members were harassed.

“My participation was not about winning but about fighting for my voice and political ideals within the political spectrum against a government that is assured of a win, win or lose,” Assefa said.

Merara Gudina, a professor at Addis Ababa University and an opposition leader who refused to participate, said the vote was a “sham” and that the ruling party’s win was no surprise.

He said the result will “negatively affect the already deteriorating stability of the country.”

Abiy’s administration has faced accusations of human rights violations against critics and journalists despite the promise of democracy and peace he made in 2020. Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for solving a long-standing conflict between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. That history. however. sits beside new fracture lines between the two countries: Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of supporting rebel groups to destabilize it. while Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of threatening to seize its sea port.

The election’s official totals may now determine who sits in parliament. but the conditions described around the ballot—closed polling stations. an excluded region. and an opposition that says fear shaped whether anyone could compete—leave the country with a question that final results cannot answer: what kind of stability can come from an outcome that critics say was never truly in reach for everyone else.

Ethiopia election Prosperity Party Abiy Ahmed parliament Oromia Amhara Tigray excluded polling stations failed to open African Union observers Intergovernmental Authority on Development opposition intimidation All Ethiopia Unity Party Melatwork Hailu Fano Oromo Liberation Army