As Ethiopia's utterly unsurprising election results come in, they will undoubtedly be digested abroad according to one of two very different narratives. One will focus on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party's resounding victory and interpret the results as an encouraging sign that the country will stay the course of his reform agenda. The other will emphasize the highly constrained political space in which the elections were held, and the parts of the country in which insecurity made it impossible to hold elections at all, writes Michelle Gavin for the Council on Foreign Relations.
Election officials said the results remain preliminary as verification, tabulation, and reconciliation processes continue across the country.
Voting was held in 1,139 constituencies nationwide, including contests for 501 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives. Results from 816 constituencies have been verified, while the remaining results are still being processed.
Read more »
Long queues formed at polling stations in the capital, Addis Ababa, with some waiting since 2am, and later the authorities extended voting by six hours. Despite the enthusiasm, analysts say the vote is no more than a formality to keep incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in power.
Earlier, the National Election Board of Ethiopia said 143
Read more »
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed casts his vote in Ethiopia’s 7th General Election on June 1, 2026, in his hometown of Beshasha.
AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
