Ethiopia's Prosperity Party Wins 438 of 547 Seats in Parliamentary Election

Ethiopia's Prosperity Party won 438 of 547 seats in this month's parliamentary election, securing a majority that allows it to form the next government. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to begin another term in early October. The party campaigned on the government's economic record and efforts to improve food security.

Ethiopia's government projects economic growth of over 10 percent in 2026. Abiy Ahmed was appointed prime minister in 2018 and created the Prosperity Party in 2019. The party won more than 90 percent of available seats in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

The elections were not held in the Tigray region, which has six million residents and 36 constituencies. Officials cited unfavourable conditions for the exclusion. A civil war in Tigray from 2020 to 2022 ended with a 2022 peace deal.

Tigray's main political party moved in May to reassert control over the region's political administration in violation of that agreement. In the two most populous regions, 143 polling stations did not open due to security concerns. Armed groups in the Amhara and Oromia regions rejected the election and its results.

The Fano militia has seized swathes of countryside in the Amhara region since 2023. The Oromo Liberation Army has demanded greater autonomy. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated since the end of the Tigray conflict.

Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of seeking access to a Red Sea port, while Ethiopia has denied involvement in Sudan's civil war. Abiy Ahmed received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending hostilities with Eritrea. Opponents and human rights activists accuse his government of reversing earlier gains by detaining journalists and shutting down civil society groups.