Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Party Wins Elections

By Semafor Africa Photos: Wikimedia Commons Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party retained its large parliamentary majority in recent elections overshadowed by unrest in Africa’s second-most-populous country. The party extended its parliamentary majority, securing 90% of contested seats in this month’s general election, which 49-year-old Abiy was widely expected to win. More than 140 polling stations were closed on voting day in the country’s two most-populous regions, Amhara and Oromo — both opposition strongholds — over safety concerns sparked by armed groups fighting the government. Abiy rose to power in 2018 on promises to heal deep political divisions in Ethiopia — in 2019 he won the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly for his efforts to reconcile with longtime rival Eritrea — but he soon angered politicians from the northern Tigray region, who had dominated the government for decades. He is credited with achieving impressive economic growth, while leading the country during a brutal two-year civil war that ended in 2022. Simmering unrest in several regions has prompted warnings that fighting could boil over into “catastrophic” conflict.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Party Wins Elections

By Semafor Africa

Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party retained its large parliamentary majority in recent elections overshadowed by unrest in Africa’s second-most-populous country.

The party extended its parliamentary majority, securing 90% of contested seats in this month’s general election, which 49-year-old Abiy was widely expected to win. More than 140 polling stations were closed on voting day in the country’s two most-populous regions, Amhara and Oromo — both opposition strongholds — over safety concerns sparked by armed groups fighting the government.

Abiy rose to power in 2018 on promises to heal deep political divisions in Ethiopia — in 2019 he won the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly for his efforts to reconcile with longtime rival Eritrea — but he soon angered politicians from the northern Tigray region, who had dominated the government for decades. He is credited with achieving impressive economic growth, while leading the country during a brutal two-year civil war that ended in 2022. Simmering unrest in several regions has prompted warnings that fighting could boil over into “catastrophic” conflict.