Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's party won 90% of the seats in the June 1 legislative elections, according to official results. With 438 out of 486 seats in parliament, the government maintains absolute control. However, the exclusion of conflict zones in Tigray and Amhara raises doubts about real representation and national unity.
Digital voting and the representation gap in conflict regions 🗳️
Electoral technology in Ethiopia, such as biometric registration and result transmission systems, streamlined vote counting in stable areas. However, in regions like Tigray and Amhara, lack of infrastructure and communication blackouts prevented the implementation of these systems. This left millions without the possibility of voting, creating a data gap that questions the accuracy of the official result. The digital divide thus becomes an obstacle to democracy.
Winning with 90% is easy when you don't count your rivals ⚽
Abiy Ahmed has achieved what many politicians dream of: a landslide victory without needing to campaign in conflict zones. It's like winning a soccer match by playing only on your half of the field. The opposition, absent in much of the country, must settle for watching the government celebrate a triumph that, from the outside, looks more like a monologue than a democratic debate.