Polls have opened in Ethiopia's general election, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's party expected to dominate as ongoing conflicts and the exclusion of the Tigray region overshadow the vote. The northern region of Tigray has been excluded entirely from the election.
Voters are electing representatives to Ethiopia’s 547-member parliament, with the party securing at least 274 seats earning the right to form the next government for a five-year term. This election is the seventh since the downfall of Ethiopia's military regime in 1991.
Amhara and Oromia regions have experienced violent insurgencies in recent years, with Fano militias in Amhara and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Oromia continuing to fight government forces. Violence in those regions resulted in more than 9,400 deaths in 2024, according to conflict monitoring group Acled. The Ethiopian government claims 97% of areas in Amhara and Oromia are ready to hold elections.
Opposition parties have raised concerns about the feasibility of campaigning in insecure regions. "We have previously stated that we cannot campaign in the Amhara and Oromia regions because there are no enabling conditions," said Mistreselasie Tamrat, secretary of the Coalition for Ethiopian Unity. Veteran opposition politician Merera Gurdina, a member of the Oromo Federalist Congress, said his party’s participation was symbolic: "We are participating symbolically because the law says you cannot boycott elections consecutively. We are participating, mainly to avoid deregistration."
Critics accuse Abiy Ahmed’s government of suppressing dissent, forcing opponents into exile, and arresting political rivals. Media access has also been restricted; many organizations, including the BBC, have not been granted press accreditation, and in February, the credentials for three reporters were revoked. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 press freedom index, Ethiopia ranked 148 out of 180 countries. Human Rights Watch, in its September 2025 publication, condemned Ethiopia’s government for arbitrarily arresting journalists and media professionals and called for an end to the harassment of independent journalists.
"There is a troubling pattern of repressive regulatory action against international and independent press in Ethiopia," said the Committee to Protect Journalists. Magnus Taylor, Horn of Africa expert at the International Crisis Group, said, "Prime Minister Abiy will be confident that he will be re-elected. This shouldn't obscure the fact that there are various internal insecurity issues, insurgencies and a risk of a new war in the north. The two things can exist at the same time."