Ethiopia

House of Peoples' Representatives House of the Federation

House of Peoples' Representatives

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes
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Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s)
21 Jun 2021 to 30 Sep 2021
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
07 Jul 2021
Timing of election
Delayed elections
Expected date of next elections
30 Jun 2026
Number of seats at stake
547
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
55

Notes: 20 parties registered nationwide and 33 parties registered regionally. In addition, there were 2 Fronts (comprising parties which are registered either nationwide or in regions).

Total number of candidates
1,817
Number of male candidates
1,528
Number of female candidates
289
Percentage of women candidates
15.9%

Voter turnout

Registered voters
38,234,910

Results

About the election

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party (see note 1) won an overwhelming majority, taking 448 seats in the 547-member House of Peoples' Representatives in the delayed elections held amid war in the Tigray region (see note 2). The elections were boycotted by some prominent opposition parties (see note 3). Several other opposition parties, which contested the 2021 elections, including the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA, led by Mr. Berhanu Nega), complained about the electoral process. The African Union election observer mission described the election as "credible".

The 2021 elections were the first to be held after Mr. Abiy Ahmed assumed the premiership in 2018. Being 41 at the time, he became Africa’s youngest leader. As the country's first ethnic Oromo leader in recent years, Mr. Abiy Ahmed promised reforms and backed the election (by Parliament) of Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s new President in October 2018. In 2019 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to resolve the border conflict with Eritrea.

During the election campaign, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ran on the government record, citing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant, which straddles the Blue Nile River on Ethiopia's north-western border with Sudan. The government stated that the GERD was crucial for the development of the country which aimed to become a major power exporter. However, the GERD led to tensions with nearby countries, especially Egypt and Sudan, which also depend on the Nile for fresh water supplies.

Note 1:

In April 2018, Mr. Abiy Ahmed succeeded Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) who had resigned following anti government protests initially led by the country’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo. In November 2019, Mr. Abiy Ahmed dissolved the EPRDF, which had been in power since 1991 and was dominated by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and formed the Prosperity Party in December 2019. The TPLF rejected the Prime Minister’s decision to dissolve the EPRDF and refused to join the Prosperity Party.

Note 2:

In August 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister postponed by 10 months the parliamentary and regional elections initially scheduled for 29 August 2020. Opposition parties accused the government of using the pandemic as an excuse to illegally extend its time in office (which was due to expire in October 2020), an allegation the government denied.

The TPLF held regional elections in the Tigray region on 9 September 2020 and won in a landslide. On 7 October, the House of the Federation (upper chamber comprising members of state assemblies) stated that the federal government should sever all ties with the Tigray regional state assembly. On 4 November, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the federal forces into Tigray accusing the TPLF of launching an attack to take over the Northern Command of Ethiopia’s military. Although the Prime Minister declared the end of military operations on 29 November, the war in Tigray continued throughout the 2021 elections. Also, some TPLF leaders were arrested. Among them was the former Speaker of the House of the Federation, Ms. Keria Ibrahim who was arrested in December 2020 but released on bail in March 2021. On 1 May, the government designated the TPLF as a “terrorist” organization.

Following the first postponement mentioned above, the 2021 elections were subsequently set for 5 June 2021. However, on 15 May, they were postponed again to 21 June due to security and logistical challenges. The June 2021 elections were held for 436 seats (for the 547-seat House) of which 425 were confirmed. Elections were not held for 111 constituencies (including 38 in Tigray) due to security reasons. Repeated elections for 11 undecided seats and fresh elections for most of the 111 seats were initially announced for 6 September but delayed to 30 September. No date has been set for elections in the Tigray region where the conflict is ongoing.

Note 3:

Several opposition parties announced their boycott in protest of the jailing of their leaders and over other concerns regarding the fairness of the process. Among them were the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC).

Number of parties winning seats
5
Percentage of parties winning seats
9.1%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
81.9%
Alternation of power after elections
Not applicable
Number of parties in government
1
Names of parties in government
Prosperity Party

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group Total Sep. 2021
Prosperity Party 448 37
National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) 5 0
Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA) 8 4
Gedeo People's Democratic Organization (GEDO) 4 2
Kucha People Party 1 1
Independents 4 0
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
275
Number of women elected
195

Notes:

Following the June 2021 elections, parliament initially reported 181 women out of 425 members. In January 2022, it updated these figures to 176 women out of 426 members.

In the delayed election held on 30 September 2021, 44 members, including 19 women, were elected. In total, therefore, 195 women were elected out of 470 members.

Percentage of women elected
41.5%
Women Directly Elected
195
Other notes on the elections

Note on parties or coalitions winning seats

The statistics above refer to the total number of seats won by each political party after the elections held in June and September 2021, in which a total of 470 members (426* in June and 44 in September) were elected. As at 13 January 2022, the 77 remaining seats were yet to be filled, pending elections in two regions.

*In January 2022, Parliament updated the number of seats won by the Prosperity Party in June 2021 from 410 to 411, which increased the total number of members elected in June 2021 from 425 to 426.

In September 2021, the Prosperity Party won 37 more seats, thus winning a total of 448 seats. Four members from the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA) and two members from the Gedeo People's Democratic Organization (GEDO) subsequently joined the Prosperity Party, giving it a total of 454 seats as at 13 January 2022. Consequently, EZEMA held four seats and GEDO held two seats at the same date.

Sources

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
275
Total number of women after the election
195
Percentage of women after the election
41.5%
First-term parliamentarians
453
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
96.4%
Date of the first session
04 Oct 2021

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Tagesse Chaffo (Male)
Date of birth: 07 Jul 1970
Political party
Prosperity Party
Date of election
04 Oct 2021

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No