How Powerful Is Ethiopia?

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Main party wins 100% of the Ethiopian vote

Ethiopia held a new round of elections last month, the first in five years. The leading party, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, is set to take 100% of the vote and the 546 seats in the country's parliament. Africa's second most populated country has long been under control of that one group, which is a coalition of four smaller regional parties. In the last election, one opposition member and one independent were able to secure seats in Parliament-the rest went to the Democratic Front.

Critics say this stronghold on political control trickles down to the distribution of foreign aid and job creation. Opposition leaders have even said the Democratic Front may have been involved in the recent deaths of three of its politicians who lost in the election.

For its part, majority officials maintain that its success in the election is reflective of the Ethiopian voters. The coalition told The New York Times that voters are happy to see the direction Ethiopia is heading: investing in infrastructure, growing the economy, and reducing poverty. Getachew Redan, an adviser to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, said policy priorities will largely continue unchanged once the new members of parliament officially take office.

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