Ethiopia’s Ruling Prosperity Party Wins Landslide as Tigray Region Excluded from Vote

Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has won a sweeping victory in the country’s national legislative elections, securing almost 90 percent of the contested seats. The result extends the dominance of a party that has governed Africa’s second-most populous nation since Abiy came to power in 2018, but the lopsided outcome has done little to ease concerns over the direction of Ethiopian democracy.

A landslide amid low competition

The scale of the victory reflects the relatively narrow field of contestants. Several major opposition groups boycotted or were barred from participating, leaving the ballot dominated by the Prosperity Party and a handful of smaller allied formations. International observers have pointed to the limited competition as a significant challenge to the credibility of the process, while the government has defended the elections as a necessary step in stabilizing the country after years of internal turmoil.

Mounting criticism over authoritarian drift

Abiy, who took office promising sweeping political and economic reforms, has faced growing criticism at home and abroad for what rights groups describe as a steady concentration of power. Since the civil war that erupted in 2020, several opposition figures, journalists, and civil society activists have been detained, and aid organizations have reported shrinking civic space. The prime minister’s supporters credit him with ending the conflict with Tigray and restoring a measure of federal authority, while critics warn that the cost to political freedoms has been considerable.

Tigray remains outside the vote

Perhaps the most striking feature of the election is what it leaves out: the northern Tigray region did not participate. Tigray, the epicenter of the devastating 2020–2022 war that according to multiple estimates claimed some 600,000 lives, is still recovering from widespread destruction, displacement, and humanitarian crisis. The decision to postpone voting there has underscored the fragility of the peace that followed the 2022 cessation-of-hostilities agreement.

Fears of renewed confrontation

Tensions between regional authorities in Tigray and the federal government have continued to simmer in the months since the conflict formally ended, with disputes over the terms of the peace deal, the status of disputed territories, and the pace of reconstruction fueling mistrust on both sides. International partners have urged restraint and dialogue, warning that any return to large-scale fighting would have catastrophic consequences for civilians already scarred by years of violence.

With the new parliament set to convene in the coming weeks, the Prosperity Party faces the challenge of translating its overwhelming electoral mandate into governance that addresses Ethiopia’s deep economic and humanitarian difficulties while rebuilding trust with regions and communities that feel increasingly marginalized. Whether the landslide will be viewed as a mandate for stability or as a symbol of democratic erosion is likely to shape both domestic politics and Ethiopia’s relations with its international partners for years to come.

Source: FRANCE 24 — read the original report.