ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party on Saturday was declared the winner of last month’s national election in a landslide, assuring a second five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The National Election Board of Ethiopia said the ruling party won 410 seats out of 436 contested in the federal parliament, which will see dozens of other seats stay vacant after one-fifth of constituencies didn’t vote due to unrest or logistical reasons. Ethiopia’s new government is expected to be formed in October.
Ahmed came to power in 2018 after the former prime minister resigned amid widespread protests. Ahmed oversaw dramatic political reforms that led in part to a Nobel Peace Prize the following year, but critics say he is backtracking on political and media freedoms.
Ahmed also has drawn massive international criticism for his handling of the conflict in the Tigray region that has left thousands of people dead.
June’s vote, which had been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical issues, was largely peaceful, but opposition parties decried harassment and intimidation. No voting was held in the Tigray region.
Ahmed has hailed the election as the nation’s first attempt at a free and fair vote, but the United States has called it “significantly flawed,” citing the detention of some opposition figures and insecurity in parts of Africa’s second-most-populous country.
The leader of the main opposition Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party, Birhanu Nega, lost while opposition parties won just 11 seats. The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party has filed 207 complaints with the electoral body over the vote.
Popular opposition parties in the Oromia region, the largest of Ethiopia’s federal states, boycotted the election. The ruling party ran alone in several dozen constituencies.
In a social media post late Saturday, Ahmed called the election historic in that it was conducted by an electoral body “free from any influences.” He promised to include some opposition figures who took part in the election in his new government.
