Ethiopians went to the polls on Monday in parliamentary elections where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling Prosperity Party is expected to secure a landslide victory and another five-year term in office. An estimated 50 million people out of Ethiopia's 130 million population are eligible to vote for members of the House of Representatives and regional government councils.

The Prosperity Party currently holds more than 500 seats in the 547-seat parliament and faces a fragmented opposition. Under Ethiopia's electoral system, voters select representatives who then choose the prime minister. The government declared Monday a national holiday to encourage voter participation.

Security concerns in Ethiopia's most populous regions, including Amhara and Oromia, are expected to impact voter turnout. The Tigray region will not participate in the election for the second consecutive time, leaving it without federal representation amid ongoing tensions. The Tigray People's Liberation Front has been outlawed by the federal government, which views the party's actions as threatening the 2022 peace agreement that ended the devastating Tigray war.

The election takes place against a backdrop of significant challenges for Abiy's administration. Ethiopia has experienced conflicts in multiple regions, including the Tigray war that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths before the peace deal was signed in November 2022. Relations with neighboring Eritrea have also deteriorated, with Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of supporting rebel groups.

Opposition parties have criticized the electoral process as unfair. Mistresilasie Tamerat of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party called the system "far from genuine and democratic," while the Ezema party has focused its campaign on ending ethnic-based politics. Despite these concerns, some analysts suggest the election may be conducted fairly due to technological improvements in the electoral process.

Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is leading a 73-member African Union observer mission for the elections. Kenyatta, who previously helped facilitate the Tigray peace talks, emphasized the importance of the vote for the continent, noting Ethiopia's role as host of the African Union headquarters.