Ethiopian polling stations opened on Monday, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ruling Prosperity Party is widely predicted to retain power.
The next government will be formed by the party that wins a majority of seats in the House of People’s Representatives.
Approximately 40 million people have registered to vote in national and regional parliamentary elections.
However, due to insecurity and logistical issues, Ethiopians will be unable to vote in a fifth of the country’s constituencies.
In 64 of them, the election was postponed back to September 6th, while no date has been set for Tigray’s 38 constituencies.
The elections, which have been delayed twice since last year, are now being contested by members of the opposition, while other prominent opposition parties have decided to boycott the election.
Abiy is facing increasing international condemnation for the war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, which was sparked in part by Tigray’s now-fugitive leaders objecting to Ethiopia postponing the election last year while citing COVID-19.
Tigray’s former leaders, who are fighting Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, have reported fierce new fighting in recent days.
To ensure a peaceful election, security forces were deployed throughout the country, including the capital city of Addis Ababa.
