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Ethiopia s ruling party has won by a landslide in a landmark parliamentary poll, results showed Saturday, ensuring a new five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed despite a brutal war in the northern region of Tigray.
Mr Abiy hailed the outcome of what he described as a historic election - the first time he faced voters since being appointed prime minister in 2018 following several years of anti-government protests.
The winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize had hoped to frame victory at the ballot box as a mandate for political and economic reforms and military operations.
But the poll was held in the midst of the gruelling conflict in Tigray region that has battered Mr Abiy’s global reputation and raised fears of widespread famine.
The vote was a test for Abiy, who came to power in April 2018 after the former prime minister resigned amid widespread protests. Abiy oversaw dramatic political reforms, but critics say he is backtracking from some promises on political and media freedoms. He also has drawn massive international criticism for his handling of the conflict in the Tigray region has that left thousands of people dead.
June’s vote, which had been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical issues, was largely peaceful but opposition parties decried harassment and intimidation.
Abiy hailed the election as the nation’s first attempt at a free and fair vote, but the United States has called it significantly flawed, citing the detention of some opposition figures and insecurity in parts of Africa’s second most populous country.
Abiy hails historic Ethiopia election after landslide win Sun 11th July 2021 | 01:50 AM
Addis Ababa, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2021 ) :Ethiopia s ruling party has won a landslide in a landmark parliamentary poll, results showed Saturday, ensuring a new five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed despite a brutal war in the northern region of Tigray.
Abiy hailed the outcome of what he described as a historic election the first time he faced voters since being appointed prime minister in 2018 following several years of anti-government protests.
The winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace prize had hoped to frame victory at the ballot box as a mandate for political and economic reforms and military operations.
Ruling party wins big in Ethiopian elections 1 minute read
Addis Ababa, Jul 10 (EFE).- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party achieved a massive victory in the June 21 general elections, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) said Saturday.
The PP won 410 of the 436 contested seats in the 547-member lower house of parliament, assuring Abiy of a new five-year mandate.
The balloting, originally scheduled for last August, did not take place in regions making up roughly 20 percent of Ethiopia’s territory amid logistical and security problems.
Among the excluded regions was famine-stricken Tigray, where federal forces have been battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since last November.
Ethiopia’s ruling party cruises to landslide win
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gets second 5-year term By Associated Press
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2 Photos FILE - In this Wednesday, June 16, 2021 file photo, Ethiopia s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks at a final campaign rally at a stadium in the town of Jimma in the southwestern Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Ethiopia s ruling Prosperity Party was declared on Saturday, July 10, 2021 the winner of last month s national election in a landslide, assuring a second term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File) Photo Gallery
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party on Saturday was declared the winner of last month’s national election in a landslide, assuring a second five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.