Ethiopia.. Abiy Ahmed’s party wins 90% of the seats in the parliamentary elections | news

The ruling Prosperity Party in Ethiopia – led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed – achieved a sweeping victory in the parliamentary elections, winning 90% of the seats, in an entitlement in which about 40 million voters voted amid security warnings in parts of the country.

The ruling party needed only 274 seats out of 486 to win the majority of seats in the elections held on June 1, but it snatched 438 seats, achieving a 90% percentage similar to its victory in the previous elections in 2021, according to the National Elections Authority.

In the face of security warnings that prevented the opening of 143 polling stations in the Oromia and Amhara regions, and from holding elections in the northern Tigray region; Prosperity Party candidates touted improved food security and strong economic growth in Africa’s second-most populous country (130 million people).

The Prosperity Party’s victory was in line with widespread expectations of its dominance in the elections in the face of a fractured opposition that included more than 40 parties that ran for the election, but most of these parties lacked financial support, which facilitated the victory of the ruling party in 64 districts without any competition.

The Election Commission said that the election was held in 501 districts out of 547 in the country, with about 40 million voters participating in voting, while the total number of registered voters reached 54 million.

Abiy Ahmed has been in power in this country – located in the Horn of Africa – since 2018.

The new parliament is expected to convene next October to re-elect Abe for another 5-year term.