By Addis Getachew
ADDIS ABABA
The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has won this weekend's parliamentary election by a landslide, initial results suggested on Wednesday.
The EPRDF won 442 of the 547 parliamentary seats up for grabs, Merga Bekana, head of Ethiopia's National Electoral Board, said.
Results announced so far will allow the ruling party to draw up a new government in October.
According to the results, the EPRDF won all 23 seats allocated for capital Addis Ababa.
Vote results for 105 seats, however, still have yet to be officially announced.
"These will be announced in a final report due for June," Merga said.
The EPRDF also won regional council elections – likewise by a landslide.
The Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), a component of the ruling party, won 123 of the 152 seats up for grabs, while the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) – another ruling party component – won 230 out of 294 seats.
The Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO), meanwhile, won 441 out of 537 seats, while the South Ethiopia Peoples' Democratic Movement (SEPDM) clinched 120 of the 152 seats in their respective regional state governments.
In addition, the Afar National Democratic Party took 77 out of 96 seats in the Afar Regional State Council, while the Somali People's Democratic Party took 149 of the 186 seats in the Somali People's Regional State council.
The Benishangul Gumuz Peoples' Democratic Party, for its part, took 70 of 99 seats in Benishangul Gumuz State, while the Gambella Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Movement took 120 out of 152 seats in Gambella Peoples' Regional State.
The Harari National League and OPDO both won 14 seats each of the 36 seats in the Harari People's Regional State Council.
On Thursday, Ethiopia will mark the anniversary of the demise of the Marxist Derg regime in 1991.
