Ethiopia Holds Parliamentary and Regional Elections

Ethiopians voted on Monday in parliamentary and regional elections widely expected to deliver a decisive victory for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling Prosperity Party. The vote, the seventh national election since the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1991, took place amid ongoing security challenges in several regions and concerns from opposition groups about the competitiveness of the process.

More than 50 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots at roughly 52,000 polling stations nationwide. Long queues formed early in the capital, Addis Ababa, with some voters arriving before sunrise. Authorities later extended voting hours by six hours, keeping polls open until midnight. The National Election Board reported that 143 polling stations could not open due to security issues and that voting was interrupted in others.

The election was not held in the northern Tigray region, where officials cited unfavorable conditions following the 2020-2022 civil war. Voting was also suspended in at least eight constituencies in the Amhara region due to the influence of the Fano militia. Ethiopia continues to face insurgencies in its two most populous regions, Amhara and...