Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Election Results Will Likely Confirm Status Quo

Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party is set for a decisive election win when results are announced. The election was marked by security challenges, a divided opposition and the exclusion of entire regions from voting.

The June 1 parliamentary election in Ethiopia has been described as a success despite the exclusion of parts of the country for what officials said were security reasons.

Nearly 50 million people registered to vote in the election in Ethiopia, Africa's second-most-populous country. However, citing insecurity, officials suspended voting in at least 140 constituencies in two of the most populous regions: Amhara and Oromia.

Voting was also suspended in Tigray, the fourth-most-populous region, with election organizers citing "unfavorable conditions."

Despite the suspension of votes in some areas, a joint statement by the AU Election Observation Mission and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)described the election as peaceful.

"The IGAD mission further extends its sincere congratulations to the government and the people of Ethiopia for the generally peaceful and orderly conduct of the electoral process," said Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe, Uganda's former vice president and head of the IGAD Observer Mission.

Wandira-Kazibwe said the peaceful conduct of the polls puts Ethiopia on a path toward "stability, constitutionalism and democratic progress."

There were mixed reactions among political parties to the outcomes on Election Day.

The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice, which is based in the South Ethiopia regional state, said "overall, the situation was positive, with no major problems reported."

But the Coalition for Ethiopian Unity and the Kucha People's Democratic Partysubmitted a complaint to the National Election Board of Ethiopia, alleging disenfranchisement among some of its members.

"Our constituency were unable to exercise their constitutional right to elect their own representatives," Bandira Belachew of the Kucha People's Democratic Party told reporters.

The party has requested an annulment of the election in the Kucha constituency based on the claims.

Although election results are not expected until 10 days after voting, many observers and analysts predict a landslide victory for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling Prosperity Party.

The Prosperity Party currently holds 457 out of 547 seats in the House of Representatives and is expected to maintain its hold on power.

"We have very fragmented, weak opposition parties that could not pose serious threat to the ruling party," said analyst Bizuneh Yimenu of Queen's