Ethiopia's election results will likely confirm status quo

The June 1 parliamentary election in Ethiopia has been described as a success despite the exclusion of parts of the country for what officials said were security reasons.

Nearly 50 million people registered to vote in the election in Ethiopia, Africa's second-most-populous country. However, citing insecurity, officials suspended voting in at least 140 constituencies in two of the most populous regions: Amhara and Oromia.

Voting was also suspended in Tigray , the fourth-most-populous region, with election organizers citing "unfavorable conditions."

Despite the suspension of votes in some areas, a joint statement by the AU Election Observation Mission and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) described the election as peaceful.

"The IGAD mission further extends its sincere congratulations to the government and the people of Ethiopia for the generally peaceful and orderly conduct of the electoral process," said Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe, Uganda's former vice president and head of the IGAD Observer Mission.

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Wandira-Kazibwe said the peaceful conduct of the polls puts Ethiopia on a path toward "stability, constitutionalism and democratic progress."

There were mixed reactions among political parties to the outcomes on Election Day.