Ethiopia Heads to Vote With 50 Million Registered as Abiy's Party Eyes Another Landslide
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 28
Ethiopia Heads to Vote With 50 Million Registered as Abiy's Party Eyes Another Landslide
6 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 28
Monday's parliamentary and regional elections are set to proceed with more than 50 million registered voters, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party is widely expected to dominate again.
410 of 484 seats went to Prosperity in the 2021 vote, and this time a fragmented opposition enters weakened by internal rivalries and allegations that arrests and legal barriers have constrained its campaign.
Insecurity still shadows the ballot: voting will not be held in Tigray and in at least eight of Amhara's 138 constituencies, while unrest persists in Oromiya and Fano fighters hold parts of Amhara.
Abiy's government is campaigning on economic reforms, improved food security and projected 2026 growth above 10%, even as critics say political freedoms have deteriorated and rights abuses accompanied recent conflicts.
The election comes as Ethiopia remains scarred by the 2020-2022 Tigray war and faces renewed tension with Eritrea over Abiy's calls for sea access.
With millions unable to vote, is Ethiopia's election a step toward peace or a catalyst for national fracture?
From Nobel laureate to 'violent tyrant,' how will Abiy Ahmed's contested victory reshape the Horn of Africa?
Can a government fighting multiple civil wars deliver on its promises of economic growth and vital sea access?