People wait to cast their ballots in the country's seventh general election at a polling station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 1, 2026. (Geng Xinning)

NNA News – Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP) has secured a decisive victory in the country's seventh general election, paving the way for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's party to form a new government. The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) announced on Sunday that the Prosperity Party won 438 of the 486 contested seats in the House of People's Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament.

Under Ethiopia's constitution, the party holding a parliamentary majority is entitled to form the government and nominate the country's prime minister. The election, held on 1 June, involved 42 political parties and independent candidates competing for parliamentary and regional council seats. More than 10,000 candidates participated in the process.

Of the parliament's 547 seats, results were declared for 486 constituencies. Electoral authorities said some seats were excluded because of voting irregularities, while elections could not be conducted in certain areas due to ongoing security concerns.

A man casts his ballot for the country's seventh general election at a polling station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 1, 2026. (Photo by Michael Tewelde)

According to official figures released by the electoral board, more than 96 percent of the country's 54 million registered voters participated in the election, making it one of the highest voter turnout rates recorded in Ethiopia's recent electoral history. Special voting arrangements were also introduced to allow internally displaced persons and members of the Ethiopian National Defense Force to cast their ballots. More than 28,000 displaced citizens and over 126,000 military personnel participated through dedicated polling stations established across the country.

Political analysts have attributed the Prosperity Party's strong performance partly to divisions within Ethiopia's opposition landscape, with opposition parties struggling to present a united front or alternative policy platform during the campaign period. Speaking during the announcement of the results, NEBE Chairperson Melatwork Hailu described the election as largely peaceful despite logistical and security challenges. "Despite various challenges, Ethiopia's seventh general election was conducted in a fair, peaceful and democratic manner," Hailu said.

Election officials noted that managing voting operations across more than 52,000 polling stations required significant logistical coordination. Authorities extended voting hours until midnight in some areas to accommodate high voter turnout. The African Union welcomed the election outcome and commended Ethiopian authorities for the conduct of the vote. African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, praised both the electoral board and the government for what he described as a successful democratic process.

The victory strengthens the Prosperity Party's position as the dominant political force in Ethiopia and gives it a renewed mandate to govern Africa's second most populous country as it continues to navigate economic reforms, development priorities and security challenges in several regions.