Parliamentary elections in Ethiopia come to a close
The first Parliamentary elections in Ethiopia since the death of the countries longest serving prime minister the late Meles Zenawi have come to a close.
A landslide win is expected for the ruling party, which based its campaign delivering strong economic growth, as opponents complained their supporters were harassed.
Provisional results are expected to emerge in a few days, while the final tally is due to be declared next month.
Electoral officials and party observers came together to inspect the ballot boxes before the final vote count started.
The country has 96 million people and 37 million registered voters.
No major irregularities were reported, election officials said. However, the opposition said their representatives were barred from some polling stations.
Observers from the African Union issued an initial assessment to say the polls were conducted in a calm and peaceful manner.