<\/p>\n
The election will be the first nationwide poll since the end of the Tigray conflict in 2022. However, participation is expected to be uneven, with reports indicating that millions of people in the Tigray region will not take part.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
International Relations Analyst Seife Afrikano said the election is taking place in a challenging environment, with ongoing conflict in several regions, including Tigray, Amhara and parts of Oromia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afrikano said these conditions affect both the conduct of the election and public confidence in the process. He said large sections of the population in conflict-affected areas may not participate, citing insecurity and lack of access to polling.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afrikano said violence in the Amhara region has intensified, with armed groups operating across large areas. Afrikano said this has created uncertainty for voters, particularly in regions where fighting remains active.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afrikano also noted that participation in Tigray is expected to be limited, while some areas in Oromia are also affected by instability. He said the broader security situation has implications for voter turnout and the overall credibility of the election. Afrikano said many citizens are unlikely to engage in the voting process under current conditions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afrikano said the election outcome is widely expected to favour Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed\u2019s Prosperity Party, which remains the dominant political force in the country.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He added that some constituencies are seen as having predetermined outcomes, limiting the competitiveness of the process. Afrikano said the election may serve more as a formal process than a competitive contest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afrikano said expectations that earlier reforms would lead to stronger national unity have not been realised. He said divisions linked to ethnicity and regional dynamics continue to influence political participation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On the broader impact of the election, Afrikano said it is unlikely to ease tensions and may not address underlying political and social challenges. Afrikano said public sentiment remains uncertain, with limited expectation of high voter turnout beyond those aligned with the ruling party.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":35721,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-35720","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Ethiopia is scheduled to hold its general election on June 1, with more than 50.5 million registered voters, representing a 32% increase compared to the previous election in 2021.","published_date":"","news_description":"","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35722,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35720\/revisions\/35722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=35720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}