Ethiopia‘s ruling Prosperity Party has secured an overwhelming majority in a landmark parliamentary poll, ensuring a new five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The June 21 election marked the first time Abiy faced voters since being appointed prime minister in 2018 following several years of anti-government protests.

Abiy’s Prosperity Party won more than 400 seats out of a total of 436 where elections were held, according to results issued by the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) at a gathering in Addis Ababa.

Documents from the NEBE issued Saturday showed the PP winning 421 seats but then it said there would have to be a re-run election in 10 constituencies and a recount in three more

Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, had hoped to frame victory at the ballot box as a mandate for political and economic reforms and military operations.

But the poll was held in the midst of a gruelling conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region that has battered Abiy’s global reputation and raised fears of widespread famine.

The vote was meant to affirm a promised democratic revival in Africa‘s second-most populous nation, with Abiy vowing a clean break with repression that tarnished past electoral cycles.

The ruling coalition that preceded Abiy claimed staggering majorities in 2015 and 2010 polls that observers said fell far short of international standards for fairness.

A more open contest in 2005 saw big opposition gains but led to a lethal crackdown on protests over contested results.

This time, the polls were delayed twice — once for the coronavirus pandemic, and again to allow officials more time to prepare.

Even with the extra time, voting did not go ahead in around one-fifth of the country’s 547 constituencies. The second batch of voting is due to take place on September 6 in many of those left out.