From Dispatch Room
Ethiopians voted on Monday in a national election affected by insecurity in parts of the country, as the ruling Prosperity Party seeks to secure a legislative majority and extend Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s leadership for another five-year term.
The election took place under heavy security, with a visible military presence reported in the capital, Addis Ababa, as election observers and watchdog groups called for a peaceful process in Africa’s second most populous country.
Head of the electoral commission, Melatework Hailu, said security incidents were recorded at polling stations in the volatile Oromia and Amhara regions. Voting resumed in some affected locations but did not continue in 143 polling stations, leaving uncertainty over whether affected voters would be given another opportunity to cast their ballots.
Authorities did not immediately provide details on the nature of the security incidents.
Despite the disruption, voting reportedly proceeded in about 50,000 other polling stations across the country. More than 50 million people, out of Ethiopia’s estimated population of 130 million, registered to vote in the election.
Voters are choosing more than 500 members of the House of Representatives, who will later vote to select the prime minister. They are also electing members of local government councils.
The Tigray region did not participate in the election, leaving it without federal parliamentary representation for another cycle. The region has remained politically and institutionally strained after years of friction with the federal government, including armed conflict.
The election is widely expected to favour the ruling Prosperity Party, which has dominated Ethiopia’s political landscape under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Results were expected later Monday.
— Newspot Nigeria
