Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has claimed a landslide victory in the East African country's national elections this month, with his "Prosperity Party" winning 438 of the 501 contested seats.
More than 50 million people registered to vote in Ethiopia, however no election was held in northern Tigray due to what election officials called "unfavourable conditions" in the aftermath of the civil war in the region and continuing instability. Voting was also disrupted in parts of the Oromia and Amhara regions as a result of security concerns.
Observers from regional organisations such as the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development were in Ethiopia to oversee the election and to guarantee its legitimacy, however they were largely confined to the capital, Addis Ababa, and have been criticised for not deploying more observers across the country.
Melatework Hailu, the chairperson of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), has said that the board demonstrated "institutional neutrality and performed its duties solely in accordance with the law and electoral guidelines, without interference."
Originally published by African Business.