Abiy Ahmed set for another term as Ethiopia’s PM following historic election win

ADDIS ABABA, June 22 -- The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on Sunday declared the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) the winner of the country's seventh general election, clearing the way for it to form a new government.

Announcing the official results in Addis Ababa, the NEBE said the PP secured 438 of the 486 contested seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives (HoPR), the lower chamber of Ethiopia's parliament, in the June 1 general election.

Under Ethiopia's constitution, the political party or coalition that wins a majority in the HoPR is mandated to form the government and nominate the prime minister.

Of the HoPR's 547 seats, the NEBE announced results for 486 constituencies. The remaining seats were excluded due to electoral irregularities in some areas despite voting having taken place, while elections could not be held in other constituencies due to security concerns.

According to NEBE data, the election involved 42 political parties and independent candidates, with more than 10,000 contestants vying for seats in the HoPR and regional councils. The PP emerged with a commanding majority, positioning it to form the East African country's next government in the coming months.

The party also won Ethiopia's sixth general election in June 2021, securing 410 of the 484 contested parliamentary seats.

NEBE figures showed that more than 96 percent of the over 54 million registered voters cast their ballots on June 1, in a country with an estimated population of about 130 million.

Special voting arrangements were also made on June 9, enabling more than 28,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and over 126,400 members of the Ethiopian National Defense Force to vote at hundreds of polling stations established in displacement and military camps across the country.

Political analysts have largely attributed the PP's landslide victory to the fragmented nature of Ethiopia's opposition landscape. Observers also cited the opposition parties' failure to present convincing policy alternatives during the campaign period as a factor contributing to the ruling party's strong performance.

Speaking at the announcement ceremony, NEBE Chairperson Melatwork Hailu said that despite various challenges, Ethiopia's seventh general election was conducted in "a fair, peaceful and democratic manner."

The electoral board noted that managing the voting process at more than 52,000 polling stations across the country posed significant logistical challenges, prompting authorities to extend voting hours until midnight on election day to accommodate high voter turnout.

Also addressing the event, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, praised the NEBE and the Ethiopian government "for their successful step towards democracy," as he reaffirmed the African Union's "unwavering commitment to Ethiopia's peaceful democratic consolidation."