This archive report was first published on 11 July 2021.
On June 21, Ethiopia held its parliamentary and regional elections, which saw Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party secure a landslide victory, winning 410 out of 436 seats.
Abiy hailed the election as the country's first free and fair election after decades of repressive rule, despite opposition boycotts, ethnic violence, and logistical challenges in some areas.
However, the election was not without its controversies, with opposition leader Berhanu Nega's Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party (Ezema) filing 207 complaints after local officials and militiamen blocked observers in the Amhara region and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' region.
Abiy's party faced a fragmented opposition of dozens of mostly ethnically-based parties, with Ezema and the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) each winning less than 10 seats.
The election was the first test of voter support for Abiy, who promised political and economic reforms when he was appointed prime minister by the governing coalition in 2018.
Abiy's government now faces international pressure over the war in Tigray and accusations from rights groups that it is rolling back some new freedoms, which it denies.
