Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed revealed on Tuesday that the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) deliberately abstained from participating in 15 percent of electoral constituencies during the country’s recent seventh general election.
The decision was aimed specifically at ensuring that opposition political parties could secure representation in the national parliament and regional councils, Abiy said on Tuesday, while addressing the outgoing Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR).
Describing the decision as one of his ruling party’s “unprecedented democratic milestones,” Abiy stated that intentionally yielding a significant portion of electoral seats was a calculated effort to transition the Horn of Africa nation into a more diverse, multi-party legislative environment.
According to official data released by the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on June 21, the ruling party secured a sweeping victory in Ethiopia’s June 1 seventh general election.
The PP won 438 of the 486 contested seats in the HoPR, securing a majority of seats in the lower house of the country’s parliament, ultimately cementing its mandate to form a new government and nominate the prime minister.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abiy noted that by re-electing the ruling party, the public has entrusted the party’s leadership with the national responsibility to modernize public services, and aggressively eradicate theft and corruption.
Commending the peaceful nature of the electoral process, he stated that millions of citizens cast their ballots in a democratic manner, driven by “a collective hope to pass down a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Ethiopia to the next generation.”
(Photo Credit — Office of the Ethiopian Prime Minister via X, formerly Twitter.)
